Family Ties
by D3strud0
Summary: Lilly's troubled by her fathers attempts to try and get in touch with her. Lilly's mother tells her that he is dangerous but Lilly is unsure. Miley's there by Lilly's side. what will happen when Lilly decides to go see her father after all? Liley.
1. Chapter 1

Lilly quickly threw her golden blonde hair into a loose ponytail and grabbed her school bag. Again, she had woken up late and would have to rush to school to meet Miley and Oliver before homeroom started.

"Gah, I'm so late," she mumbled to herself, as she glanced at the digital clock next to her bed, and then at her wristwatch. (Both of which were displaying inaccurate times)

She started down the stairs in a hurry, but as she neared the entrance hallway, the sound of her mothers' frantic whispers caused her to come to a halt.

Lilly held her breath and took several quiet steps to the kitchen door so she could hear more clearly.

"No, Paul, that's completely unacceptable!" Heathers' voice echoed throughout the kitchen. There was a pause and Lilly tip-toed closer. "You know why! I've told you a million times, you're not getting anywhere near her…! Don't bring me into this. That has nothing to do with it. The courts decided that you are not fit to me anywhere near Lilly _or_ me! If you try to communicate with her, I will get you in jail so fast your head will be spinning! I'm not about to let you drag her into your lies! No! No excuses! Paul, stop! Paul.. I'm not going to listen to—Paul!"

Heather released a stifled grunt and slammed the phone down. She sighed heavily and then looked up to see Lilly standing in the doorway. She bit down on her lower lip and forced a smile.

"Good morning Lilly…! Would you like me to fix you some breakfast?"

Lilly didn't move, but instead, spoke very slowly, "Mom… maybe he's different…"

Heather sighed again and pulled up a chair to sit down, "Lilly, honey, you were to young to remember what he put us through... and thank god for that,"

"I was _not_ too young mom!" Lilly exploded, "You won't even give him a chance! People can change!"

"Lilly, listen…"

Lilly turned and started for the door, "Whatever…"

Heather stood up from her chair, " Lilly, wait! You're breakfas-"

The door slammed shut.

Lilly rushed down the street, trying to clear her mind. She didn't hear Miley calling after her.

"Lilly!" Miley rested her hand on Lillys' arm as she finally caught up to her. Lilly turned her head, surprised, and met eyes with Miley.

"Oh," Lilly sighed and relaxed at the sight of her friend. "Good morning Miles,"

"'Good morning?' I must have called your name a dozen times! You feeling okay?"

The two fell in place, side by side, and began walking at the same pace. Lilly hesitated before answering. "My dad called again this morning… He was still trying to see my mom and me,"

Miley furrowed her brow and linked arms with her friend. She didn't know what to say. Lilly had never really brought up her father until he had started calling desperately about a month ago, and Miley didn't know the history between him and his family very well. "Lilly… I'm sorry… What do you think about it all?"

"I don't know," Lilly stared at the ground as they walked on, "I mean… I want to meet him… I don't remember a whole lot about him. I'm.. I'm just curious, you know? I'm mad at him, yeah, but my mom wont say anything about him except that he's dangerous. But what if he's changed? I guess I wouldn't know, because my mom never tells me the specifics about why he was so bad… I just… I just don't know Miles,"

Miley was at a loss of what to say. She squeezed Lilly's arm with hers, and rested her head on Lilly's shoulder. Lilly sighed, finding comfort in the warmth of having her friend at her side. She relaxed, took a deep breath, and squeezed Miley's arm back. "Thanks, Miley…" She said softly.

They walked the rest of the way to school, and found their spot at an outside table to wait for Oliver. Miley glanced over at Lilly, who sat with her chin resting on the palm of her hand, seeming lost in deep though. Miley noticed how much smaller Lilly's frame looked, compared to the strong, healthy, and athletic body it had been before. She almost looked sickly.

"Lilly…" Miley started, "Did you eat breakfast this morning…? Or any morning for that matter?"

Lilly blinked out of her thoughts and turned to face Miley, "Hm? Oh… No, I didn't this morning.. I woke up late and then sort of had an argument with my mom. I guess it's happened more than once recently,"

"You really should eat something.."

"I will," Lilly assured her, "I'll grab something at lunch. I just haven't had much of an appetite lately,"

Before Miley could point out how unusual it was for The Lilly Truscott not to have an appetite was, Oliver walked over to them and sat down.

"Good morning, ladies! I know, I know. You missed me. What can I say, I'm a busy man,"

Both Miley and Lilly rolled their eyes. "Good morning, Oliver,"

Oliver smiled sheepishly and lifted his backpack up to the table as he sat down. "Oh yeah, Lilly, the lady in the office asked me to give this to you," Oliver reached into his front pocket and handed Lilly a folded piece of paper. "They said it was from your mom,"

Lilly took the piece of paper and started to unfold it. "My mom? Why would she send something through the office?"

Oliver shrugged as Lilly read the note. Miley leaned closely over Lillys' shoulder to read it too.

The note conveyed nothing more than a simple address. As Lilly finished reading it over a few times, she slowly folded it back up.

"This isn't from my mom…" Lilly had a look on her face that scared Miley, but before she could say anything, the bell for homeroom rang.

Miley didn't get a chance to talk to Lilly until lunch, though she made sure to keep her eye on her during class. Lilly rarely looked up, but onto the piece of paper in her hand with a tight, almost trembling grip. This, Miley knew, was not a good sign.

As the bell for lunch rang and the students filed out of the classroom, Oliver walked over to Miley's desk.

"Hey, I gotta talk to the tech about my AV project. Could you check on Lilly? She seems…" Oliver frowned, "I dunno…"

Miley glanced past Oliver as Lilly exited the room, looking very tired and weak. She knew Lilly would be waiting at their lunch table. She turned back to Oliver and nodded.

"Leave it to me."

Miley stood up, gathered her things, and left the classroom to find Lilly. She found Lilly sitting exactly where she thought she would; at their lunch table. She still seemed lost in thought. Miley also noticed that Lilly had failed to get any food in front of her.

"Aren't you going to eat anything?" Miley asked as she sat down slowly next to her friend.

Lilly's eyes fluttered and she jumped, surprised my Miley's sudden appearance. She gathered herself, and took a moment to answer.

"I'm not… feeling all that well…" She said weakly, and Miley believed her. Lilly was pale and trembling. Miley was terrified that the slightest touch would cause Lilly to collapse to the ground.

"Well, maybe eating something would help…" She suggested hopefully.

Lilly didn't answer, and was once again lost in thought. Miley inched closer, and soothingly placed her hand on Lilly's arm. She could feel her friend trembling.

Lilly turned to meet Miley's gaze. She looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"Lilly…" Miley said softly as she gently stroked her friends quivering arm, "Tell me what's going on… Are you sick..? Do you need to go to the nurse,"

Miley hoped that this was the case, but she knew it wasn't. She looked deep into Lilly's sparkling blue eyes that were rimmed with tears. "Or is it something else…?" Miley glanced to the note that Lilly still clutched in her hands, and then back at Lilly.

Lilly stared back into Miley's eyes and opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She looked frightened and helpless. Lilly weakly drew nearer to Miley, and Miley did the same, waiting for her friend to answer her.

"Lilly Truscott?" A voice interrupted them. They both looked up, surprised, and saw the school secretary.

"Y-yes?" Lilly finally answered, slightly shaken.

"There's a phone call for you in the office," She seemed irritated with the fact that she was playing the messenger.

Lilly pulled away from Miley, and Miley immediately did the same. "Oh… Okay." Lilly stood up to follow the secretary back to the office, giving Miley one last desperate glance for help.

Miley stared after her as she walked away, concerned, and at a loss of what to do.

The secretary led Lilly into the office and pointed towards the phone at her desk. "I'll transfer the call," She said dryly, and went back behind her desk. She pushed a few buttons at her desk phone and the phone in from of Lilly began to ring. Lilly stared at it, unsure of what to do.

"Well, pick it up," The secretary snapped.

Lilly jumped at the harshness of the secretary's voice, and then swallowed before reaching for the phone. Slowly, she picked it up and lifted it to her ear.

"H-hello?" She asked weakly. Her stomach churned.

"Lilly… please come…"

"W-what?"

The phone clicked from the other line and the line went dead. She held the phone to her ear several moment longer and then hung it up. The bell for lunch to end rang. Lilly thanked the secretary, and then turned to leave, walking out the office doors.

Miley waited nervously where she had been since Lilly had left. The bell rung and still she sat, refusing to move until she saw Lilly. Finally, she saw her emerge through a crowd of students who were all hurrying to class. Miley immediately rose from where she sat and rushed to Lilly's side.

"Lilly? What was it?" Miley asked desperately, grasping Lilly's arm again. She was shaking vividly, and she looked up at Miley with fear and bewilderment in her eyes.

"Lilly…" Miley tightened her grip.

"Miley, I—" Lilly's voice was quivering,

"Stewart! Truscott! Get to class!"

Miley did not let her eyes leave Lilly's trembling figure during the next class. They didn't have 6th period together, and Miley was distraught with worry about how Lilly was doing. Her imagination ran wild, and wracked her with concern and worry.

_What if Lilly collapsed? What if Lilly was alone somewhere and needed me? What if she's really sick? What if someone found her…? What if something happened with her father? _Miley's mind was going a mile a minute. Her foot was constantly tapping at a rapid speed out of anxiety.

Finally. 6th period was over, and all that was left was PE, which she and Lilly were in together. Unfortunately, Miley was held several minutes after class by the teacher to discuss her visible lack of attention during the period. When she was done getting lectured, she rushed to the gym. By the time she got there, the locker room was empty. Quickly, she changed into her PE clothes and went out to the gym.

Much to her disappointment, Miley found that the class had been split into two groups. One group was running laps around the track, and the other was recording height and weight. Miley hoped and prayed Lilly was in the second group instead of running laps in her weakened state, but Miley didn't see her in the line that led up to the scale. She apprehensively turned towards the track, and to her horror, she saw Lilly: running fast and hard. Her face was a ghostly white and she was gasping for air, but still, she kept on running, as if her life depended on it; as if she were running away from the world.

Miley stood in back of the height and weight line, nervously glancing towards the track, fearful that Lilly would collapse at any given moment.

At one point, Miley turned just in time to see Lilly loose her footing and fall hard to the ground. Miley shot up from her sitting position and started towards the track, but was pulled back by an angry voice.

"Stewart! Get back in Line!"

Miley froze and looked back at the gym instructor, and then back towards the track. A few girls had gathered around Lilly to help her up, but Lilly pulled herself to her knees, and then into a standing position. Without hesitation, she continued to run.

"Stewart!"

Miley slowly turned around and obediently headed back towards the back of the line.

PE seemed to drag on and on, but finally, the bell for 7th period to end rang. Miley, having been the last person in line, was released last. She rushed to the locker room knowing that everyone, including Lilly, would be done dressing out and leaving.

To her surprise, when she entered the locker room, she found Lilly sitting down, still in her PE clothes; pale, and short of breath. Lilly looked up at her as she entered.

"Lilly…?" she asked, surprised, "What are you still doing here?"

Lilly stood up, staggering. "I thought I'd wait for you…"

Miley bit down on her lower lip; she scared that she would burst into tears, but she managed to force out a cheerful, "Oh. Thanks Lil!"

They both went to each of their lockers and began to undress. As Miley finished removing her PE shirt and pulling her dress shirt over her head, she glanced over at Lilly. Lilly had just opened her locker and was removing her PE shirt.

Miley swallowed as a weird sensation swept throughout her body as she watched her friend's half naked body. She convinced herself it was a wave of concern for Lilly. The outlines of Lillys' ribs were visible through her skin and she swayed as she stood in place. Her breathing was still shallow and labored.

Suddenly, Lilly's knees buckled, and she staggered backwards. Miley acted fast and lunged forward as Lilly fell. Miley managed to catch her, and slid to her knees. She propped Lilly up and held her in her arms. Lilly's body trembled, and a cold sweat ran down her face. Miley swallowed again as she felt Lilly's bare skin touch her own. Shivers that Miley couldn't explain ran throughout her entire body.

Miley shook herself out of it and brought herself back to the situation. "Lilly, wake up! Can you hear me?"

Lilly groaned softly, and Miley tightened her grip on her.

"Lilly!"

Several painstakingly moments of silence later, Lilly stirred, and her eyes fluttered open. She squinted up at Miley as her eyes focused.

"Mm… Miley?" She asked weakly, "I'm really lightheaded… I don't feel too good…"

Miley held her Lilly closer and rocked her back and forth, hiding the tears of relief that started to form in her eyes. "Of course you don't, Sweetie," She sniffed, "You haven't been taking care of yourself,"

Lilly heard the quivering in Miley's voice and reached for Miley's hand. She grasped it in her own frail hands, and gave it a soft squeeze.

"Lilly… What wrong…? Please tell me,"

Lilly smiled softly and struggled to sit up in Miley's arms. Miley ended up helping her. "Hey Miles…?"

Miley sniffled, "Yeah?"

"Can I stay at your place tonight? There's some stuff I really want to talk to you about,"

Tears dripped from Miley's eyes and landed on Lilly's hands. Lilly gave Miley's hand another gentle squeeze.

"Of course," Miley choked, "Of course you can, silly,"

Lilly smiled softly, but it soon faded off of her face. "My dad…wants me to…" She started, "Well, I think it's my dad. The address, the phone call… He wasn't me to see him today… I don't know what to do…"

Miley saw Lilly reach her shaking hand towards the bench for support, and then started to help Lilly up.

"Well, too bad!" Miley said protectively, "You're going to be at my house tonight, and we're going to figure all of this out. You can't keep torturing yourself like this! Plus… I don't think its safe to just show up, when you don't really know what to expect, and because he asked you the way that he did.. It's too suspicious."

Lilly stabled herself and nodded. "You're right… I'm just… lost…" She then blushed, noticing she was still half naked. She reached for her shirt and pulled it on over her head.

Miley blushed too, realizing how she had grown accustomed to seeing Lilly in her nothing but her bra. She sheepishly looked away. "Well… I'm here to find you," She said softly.

Lilly finished changing and closed her locker. She turned to Miley and grabbed her hand gently. "Thank you, Miles…"

Miley smiled at Lilly reassuringly, and interlaced her fingers with Lilly's. "Now!" She said, wiping the last of her tears away, "Let's get some food in you!"

Lilly smiled at this, and found herself being led out of the locker room to get some food at Rico's with her best friend.

Lilly quietly walked through the front door of her house. She had gone to Rico's with Miley and returned home briefly, before she was going to head over to Miley's for the night.

She hadn't been able to eat a whole lot, but had had satisfied Miley by finishing half a hotdog. She felt as if she had more energy now, but at the same time, felt slightly nauseous.

Lilly looked at the clock. 5:15… Her mom wouldn't be home until after 6:00, and she had planned to be at Miley's by 7:00. She stood in the front entrance for several minutes, and then went to the kitchen to write her mother a note, telling her she'd be at Miley's for the night.

Lilly then, read over the note hesitantly and then placed it on the counter. She turned to leave out the front door, clutching the folded piece of paper with the address on it in her hands. After a few more moments of hesitation, Lilly opened the door, and stepped outside.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors and actresses in the television show. **

Lilly stood in front of "Room 14" at a rundown apartment complex called "The Plaza Apartments". She looked down again at the paper in her hand. It definitely said "Room 14", but still, she wanted to make sure.

The door in front of her had a rusted "14" nailed onto it. The olive green paint that colored the door was peeling, exposing the splintered wood beneath. She glanced at the address one last time before shoving it into her pocket. Still, she didn't move. She noted that the door was slightly ajar so she held her breath and strained her ears to see if she could pick up any noise from inside. All she could hear was a muffled radio station, broadcasting what sounded like moody blues and a constant tapping noise. A sloppy, off key humming came into accompaniment with the radio station. Lilly licked her lips in anticipation.

After several more minutes of strained listening, Lilly relaxed and let out a heavy sigh. She took several deep breaths to compose herself and then bravely took a step forward. Hands trembling, she knocked on the door gently.

"Hello?" She heard herself say.

Immediately, there was a crashing noise, as well as the sound of furniture scraping against the floor and shattering glass. Lilly took a step backwards as her heart began to race. A muffled curse slipped through the cracks in the door.

"H… hello?" Lilly called more timidly. She waited for a response, but none came. She bit down on her lip and slowly pushed the door open.

The room was dark and hazy. Smoke lingered in the air. Lilly squinted into the darkness and her eyes rested on the figure of a man huddled over, cradling his hand. She was scared, but she had gone this far, and turning back now would eat away at her. Her curiosity led her to move towards the figure. She stopped several feet away and looked down at him.

The man looked up at her and seethed, "Look what you made me do!" He wiped blood that was trickling from an open wound on his hand onto his pants. He stood up, and Lilly's eyes finally adjusted to the dark. She could see the room was cluttered with beer bottles, whiskey bottles, dirty plates and laundry, and a pungent smell hung in the room.

"Who is it?" He yelled, "Whaddaya want?"

Lilly found herself meeting the gaze with the exact same baby blue eyes that she had. The eyes that stared at her, however, were tired and filled with anger.

He was a tall man, with the same eyes, hair color, and chin as Lilly. Lilly knew; this man was her father.

"Dad…?" Her voice was soft.

His eyes softened and he took an unsteadied step towards her. Lilly relaxed slightly.

"Heather…" He mumbled, "Look what ya did… ya made me cut my hand," He looked around the room, as if realizing what Lilly had been looking at. "I din't mean ta start drinking… It's just.. it's that damn daughter of ours din't come ta see me after school. I waited an' waited, but, nothin'. And now you done and made me cut my hand,"

Lilly took a step backwards, scared and confused. "Dad… Dad it's me Lilly,"

He ignored her words, or just simply didn't hear them in his drunken state. His mood suddenly darkened. "You were always good at hurting me… usually not like this but… you found ways… That's why I always had to hurt you back, you know? I can't keep up with your women's mind game, but I do got my hands.." He stopped, as if thinking, and then lifted a bottle from the coffee table and emptied the last of its contents. "You know what else, hun? I'm glad I slapped Lil around when I did. I been watchin' her, an' I think she's a dyke, with that friend of hers. I musta know it. That's why I did what I did. It was to save her from that, but the courts couldn'ta known that…"

Tears gathered in Lilly's eyes as she took another step backward, "What… what are you--?" She stammered.

"She's got this lovesick look on her face whenever she's around that girl," Suddenly, he lunged forward and grabbed Lilly by the wrist. Lilly was caught off guard and couldn't react in time. She shrieked as she felt his cold clammy fingers wrap around her arm and tried to pull her wrist away but he was too strong. He threw her onto the couch.

"It's okay, Heather… It's okay, don't cry," He whispered as she climbed on top of Lilly. "We'll just make 'nother one. This one'll come out right," He lowered himself onto her.

Lilly's eyes widened as sickening chills ran down her spine. She was too scared, she couldn't move even if she wanted to. She could feel his hard on through his pants rub against her stomach. Then, it all suddenly hit her, and she let out a blood-curdling scream. It was cut short when he grabbed her chin and forced her head back, stifling her vocal chords. He lowered his head down to her throat and licked it slowly, leaving trails of saliva on her neck. Lilly could smell his whiskey scent all around her.

She struggled to get free, but her father pinned her down and put his fingers down her throat. Lilly choked and gagged as tears ran down her face. She tried to fight back, but was at in a state of shock and panic.

"Shhh, hun, it's okay," He licked his lips, lustfully, "I know you like it rough," Her father paused and looked down at her, "You know, you haven't changed a bit since high school… You still look so young…"

He grabbed the belt of Lilly's loose jeans and pulled them down, and then did the same with his own pants. Lilly thrashed and screamed but she was just too weak. He felt the tip of his penis trace the inside of her thighs. She cringed and shut her eyes tightly, trying with all her might to close her legs.

_Miley… Miley!!_ Her sobs echoed in her head.

He leaned down again and whispered in her ear, "It's okay, baby, I know just how to open you up," With that said, he reached for a piece of shattered glass from the coffee table and lifted her shirt, exposing her stomach. He brought the glass down on Lilly's skin with once swift swipe across her abdomen. A gash appeared, along with a sharp stinging sensation that seemed to hurt everywhere except the cut. Her body tingled and the gash felt like it was on fire.

First, there was only moist pink flesh in the gash, but beads of red started to trickle down and soon the gash started gushing out blood. Lilly felt the warm liquid trickle down her hot skin. Her legs shot open in pain, and her back arched, and immediately, he saw his entrance and rammed through. The blood continues to pour downwards.

"Perfect," He smiled, starting a rhythmic motion "you were a little dry before, so that fixed two problems,"

Back arched and shaking, tears ran down Lilly's face. He face captured that of a broken spirit, a hopeless soul. Lilly suddenly felt a feeling that she would never forget. She felt like she was on fire. She felt like she had vomited all of her organ out of her body. She became limp, but could still not escape the nauseating pain. Lilly was convinced it would last forever, and soon, she became numb.

Miley glanced nervously at the clock. It was 7:48, and Lilly still wasn't there. She picked up her cell phone and texted Lilly's cell again. _[Where r u?]_

She sat back impatiently, hoping for a response this time. Something in Miley's gut told her that something wasn't right..

"Relax bud, she'll show up," Robby Ray chimed in after watching his daughter continue her nervous routine.

Miley spun around and looked up at her father anxiously, "Daddy… She's almost an hour late!"

Her father shrugged and gave Miley's shoulders a tight squeeze. "She's probably just finishing something up at home,"

As soon as she said that, Miley's phone rang. The caller ID identified it as "Lilly Home Phone" Miley sighed in relief and answer it.

"Hello?"

It wasn't Lilly's voice on the phone, but her mothers'. "Miley, hello," She started, "Sorry to call your cell, Lilly's not pickin up hers. She probably left it somewhere in your room," Miley's heart sank, and she discovered that she had lost the ability to speak. "Could you just remind her not to sleep in her contact lenses? Her optometrist was very clear that she has to stop doing that,"

There was a long pause as Miley's mind was unable to comprehend anything.

"Miley?"

"O-oh," Miley stuttered, "I'll tell her,"

Heather sighed gratefully, "Thank you, Miley. Have a great time you two!"

"Not problem," Miley tried hard to keep her voice from shaking, "We will,"

Miley hung up, and could do nothing but stare down at her phone.

"Hey bud, I'm gonna go take a shower and turn in for the night,"

Miley turned to her father. "Okay…" She said slowly, "I'm going to go wait outside for Lilly,"

Robby Ray nodded, "Alright, come wake me up if there're any problems,"

Miley nodded and then walked over to he front door and stepped outside. It was cold, and completely dark. She took several more steps outside onto the front porch. Miley shivered as her skin met the crisp air of the night.

"Come on, Lilly…" She whispered nervously, "Where are you?"

After several moments of silence, Miley became aware of a soft sniffling coming from beyond the porch steps. She walked forward and squinted into the night. "Lilly?" She called out, taking several more steps down the steps. She looks down, and as she did, her eyes fell upon a small trembling outline of Lilly, sprawled out on the pavement. Fear shot through Miley as she immediately knelt down and grabbed Lilly's arm. "Lilly, what are you--?"

Miley jerked her hand away after feeling a moist, sticky substance cover her fingers when she touched her friend. She looked down at her hand, confused, and saw drops of dark shining liquid that shimmered in the dull porch light.

"What…?" Miley stammered, unable to look away from her hand, "Lilly… is this… blood?" There was no response from Lilly except a continued sniffling. After a few more seconds of comprehension, things clicked in Miley's head.

"Lilly!" She cried, frantically, leaning close to the sniffling blonde, "What's going on?!"

Lilly sniffled again, and let out a soft pathetic moan. She tried to lift herself, but she failed in doing so. Her breathing hastened, and soon she began to hyperventilate. She was desperately trying to climb into Miley's arms.

Fearful and confused, Miley scooped Lilly into her arms. Lilly's skin was cold and she trembled in the wind. Her gasping breaths blended with her stifled cries and moans.

"Lilly! Lilly, it's okay! You're right here with me! I'm here!" Miley could feel Lilly's blood soaking through her own shirt. "Lilly!" Panicked and desperate, Miley held Lilly in her arms and started to cradle her back and forth.

A sob erupted from Lilly's throat, and she began to cry in Miley's arms. Miley continued to hold her close. She was still in shock, but she continued to react automatically in her actions. Miley could feel Lilly's tattered clothing, but still had trouble understanding was had happened.

Lilly's body started convulsing and she pulled away from Miley and vomited yellow bile from her empty stomach. After she had finished, coughing and sputtering, she collapsed back into Miley's arms. Miley held her tightly and hummed softly in her ear.

As soon as Lilly had stopped shaking enough to move, Miley sat her up. "Come on… let's get you inside… we'll clean you up,"

Lilly nodded weakly and obediently let Miley help her stand. Miley leaned Lilly onto her and help her to walk. Lilly clung to Miley like a small child. They slowly made it inside.

Miley shut the door behind them, and looked around downstairs. The lights were off, and she could hear the water from her father's shower running from upstairs. She leaned to whisper in Lilly's ear. "Lilly, we have to get you upstairs, okay?"

Again, Lilly nodded, and they made their way over to the staircase. Slowly and steadily, they began walking up the stairs; step by step. Lilly began gasping for air, which scared Miley. "Come on Lils, we're almost there," She whispered. They finally got up the last step and bean staggering down the hallway.

Jackson's bedroom door opened, and he stepped out. "What all the noise you two? Can't a guy get some piece and—" He fell short of words as his eyes rested on Lilly, and the drops of blood that followed Miley and her down the hall. His face went pale.

"M-Miley," Jackson's eyes widened, "What on earth…?"

Miley gave Jackson a serious glance as they passed him, and continued into her room. Jackson turned to stare after them, still in shock.

Miley shut the door behind them, and help Lilly over to the bed and sat her down. After making sure Lilly was stable on the bed, she stepped back to look at her.

Lilly trembled where she sat and avoided eye contact with Miley. Tears were still in her eyes. Miley stared at Lilly's bloody, tattered clothing, and then suddenly realized what had happened. Her face lost its color.

"Lilly…" She gasped, "You don't mean…"

Lilly suddenly doubled over and started to dry heave. Miley acted fast, and lifted Lilly up to help her to the bathroom.

She got Lilly to the toilet in time to vomit more yellow bile into the porcelain bowl. A wave of nausea hit Miley as well, and she turned away.

Lilly…Lilly… Lilly… This can't be happening… Lilly…

When she turned back around, Lilly was on the floor sobbing. Miley noticed that she was still bleeding. She took a deep breath, and still feeling lightheaded. Walked over to Lilly and sat her up. She determined the source of bleeding was from Lilly's torso. She noticed Lilly wince.

"Lilly, I know it's hard, but I have to clean it…" Milly reached for Lilly's shirt and lifted it up. Again, Miley went white and was about ready to pass out.

"Miley!" Her father's voice came from the doorway. She turned to see him, starin at Lilly in horror. "What in…"


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors or actresses in the television show**.

Robby Ray stood in the doorway of the bathroom wearing his dark blue bathrobe. His hair was still damp from his shower, which had been interrupted by Jackson's frantic pounding on the bathroom door. He looked down at his daughter who was kneeling over her bleeding friend.

"Miley…!" His eyes then locked onto Lilly, "What in the…"

Miley felt the tears suddenly gather in her eyes. She stood up and flung herself into her father's arms. She didn't have to keep it together anymore. She wasn't all by herself. She was aloud to be scared.

"Daddy!" She sobbed, "Daddy we gotta help her,"

Robby Ray embraced his daughter as she continued to bawl and cling to him. "Shhh, hey, Miles, it's okay," He whispered, "I know this is scary, and I'll be sure to ask questions later, but we gotta take care of Lilly,"

Miley sniffed and pulled away. Wiping her tears, she nodded and took a deep breath. She turned to Lilly who was looking at them both, helplessly. Miley knelt down away. "Lilly, my daddy's here now, he's going to help us," She whispered soothingly, resting her hands on Lilly's arm, "We're going to take care of you, I promise,"

Robby Ray was amazed at how fast Miley composed herself. _Then again,_ he thought, _it __**is **__Lilly they were dealing with. Miley's heart never skips a beat when it comes to Lilly. _He smiled and knelt down next to Lilly too.

As immediately as he did, Lilly began shaking and pulled away, trying to get away from him. Her breathing hastened and she began to shake and whimper. Desperately, she clung to Miley

"Lilly?" Miley looked at her confused, "It's okay, it's just Daddy,"

Robby Ray stood up slowly, so as not to startle Lilly. "It's okay, Miles, she's been through a lot. Let's just take one step at a time. Will you help her into the bath to wash her cuts? Don't make it too hot or she might pass out, and make sure you're with her all time so she doesn't go under. I'll try to get a hold of her mother, and then get Jackson to file a report with the police,"

"Okay…" Miley nodded, still feeling Lilly trembling hands cling to her. She gave Lilly a reassuring squeeze. Robby Ray turned to leave. "Thank you, Daddy…"

He turned around and smiled softly at the two of them. "Anything for my girls," After that, he made his leave.

Miley sat on the bathroom floor and cradled her back and forth. She stroked her friend's hair and hummed a soft, comforting tune. Once Lilly had calmed down, Miley sat up slightly. "Alright, Lilly, will you be alright here while I start the bath water?"

Lilly didn't move at first, but she eventually nodded and let go of Miley. Miley stood up and walked over to the bath. She ran the water, and stuck her hand under the faucet until she found a nice warm temperature. She plugged the drain and walked back over to Lilly.

"Lilly, lift your arms, I'm going to help you undress," Miley said, ignoring the bright red she could feel her cheeks turn. Lilly hesitated, but obeyed when Miley told her to do. Miley gently took the bottom of Lilly's blood soaked shirt, and slowly pulled it up over Lilly's head. She was very cautious, and made sure the neck of the shirt was wide enough so that Lilly's head would slip through without getting caught.

Lilly lowered her arms and shivered. Miley's eyes tried to avoid looking at the gash across Lilly's abdomen. The sight of the blood made her eyes water with tears, but knowing Lilly sat in front of Miley shirtless, seemed to oddly linger in her thoughts as well. She shook away the odd feelings, and bent down to help Lilly up who tried to do it herself, but she was too weak, and only ended up coughing and sputtering on the floor after falling.

Miley sat Lilly down on the toilet seat. (With the lid shut, of course) Then, holding her breath and biting her tongue, she helped Lilly slide off her jeans. Lilly's knees were skinned and bruised and they trembled.

Miley was knelt before Lilly, who now sat, quivering and bleeding, in nothing her undergarments. Miley was struck with several confusing emotions. She was nearly breathless at the sight of Lilly's soft figure and smooth skin and just wanted to caress her and hold her close. The other emotion was one of what almost felt like anxiety. As Miley looked over Lilly's beautiful body, she realized that it would forever be covered in scars. And Miley knew, there was nothing that she could do about that.

Tears glazed her eyes as she stared at the blood that was still coming from the cuts on Lilly's body. Lilly would be scarred. Not only physically, but mentally as well.

Her strong, independent, goofy friend who would sit backstage at Hannah concerts and harass the celebrities, and the girl who would sit on Miley's bed and read magazines with her was now trembling, with tears trickling down her face. Her eyes were no longer playful and excited. They were sad and broken.

Grief. Grief overcame Miley, but she knew… Lilly was still Lilly. Lilly was, is, and will always be Lilly, and Miley will love her for it. She laid her head down on Lilly's leg and started to sob softly. She clung to Lilly's bare thighs and caressed them lovingly. Never wanting to let them go.

Lilly was crying as well. She grasped Miley's hand with slight difficulty, and leaned down to embrace her friend. Together they cried. Their sobs shook the walls of the tiled bathroom, echoing all around them and consuming them in their own sorrows.

Slowly, their sobs subsided to snivels and Miley cleared her throat. And Looked up at Lilly. "Ohh.. Lilly… your cuts are bleeding again…" She looked over at the bath and saw that it was nearly full. "Let's get you into the bath… can you… um…" Miley looked away and blushed.

It took Lilly a few seconds to catch on. She reached to try and take off her bra, but her hands were shaking too violently. Miley bit down on her bottom lip nervously, and stood up. She reached behind Lilly and unsnapped her bra for her. Miley gulped as it dropped forward and hung loosely of Lilly's shoulders. She couldn't look away as soon as she saw the profile of Lilly's breast.

Lilly slid her bra off of her shoulders and it fell to the floor. Her back was faced to Miley as she staggered to stand up. Miley could think of nothing else except how beautiful Lilly was. Her body, her skin, her muscles, her anatomy… but aside from all that, her soul. Her smile, her laugh, her eyes…

Lilly slid her underwear down, and suddenly her knees buckled, and she fell forward. Miley rushed to help her, but they both stumbled halfway into the tub. Miley held Lilly by the arm, with her other arm on Lilly's hip.

"Lilly… are you feeling okay..?" Miley had noticed Lilly's face had turned a shade of white that didn't seem humanly possible for skin to reflect, and she had started panting heavily. Miley knew Lilly wouldn't be able to respond. She could feel Lilly's completely cold, nude skin, and now she could see it as well.

Waving away her embarrassment, Miley acted quickly. She threw off her shirt with her free arm, and then her pajama shorts. She lowered Lilly and herself into the warm water. She laid Lilly on top of her so that she wouldn't slip underwater. Lilly's eyes closed and her breathing softened. Miley smiled.

They lay in a tub, together, as bare as they had come into the world, and it felt so right. Miley had expected a feeling of discomfort or awkwardness, but it was all so… natural… real… relaxing. She felt safe, and from the way Lilly moved closer into Miley's arms, Miley could tell that Lilly did too.

Miley wrapped her arms around Lilly. The traces of blood trickled into the water and began to disappear, and Miley could feel Lilly wince from the stings the water brought to her wounds. Lilly became very tense in the water. Miley tightened her grasp on her friend, and began humming again while caressing Lilly's skin gently. She smiled as she hummed, for she could feel Lilly start to relax again. Slow and steady.

There was a long, comfortable silence in which, both of the girl's fears and worries were momentarily washed away. Miley closed her eyes and relaxed. She could feel Lilly's hand grasp onto her arms, and then, for the first time for the night, Lilly spoke.

"M…Miley?" She asked timidly.

Miley waited for Lilly to continue, but Lilly seemed hesitant. "What is it, hun?"

Slowly, Lilly sat up in the tub and turned herself around. She laid herself against Miley and rested her head on Miley's chest, wrapping her arms around her. "I… I…" she sniffled weakly, "I'm scared," her voice trembled.

"It's okay, Lilly," Miley soothed, "It's okay. I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere,"

Silent tears ran down Lilly's face as she help onto Miley. Miley began stroking her hair lovingly. They stayed like this for some time.

Finally, Miley stirred. "Lilly, we should start getting out. The water's getting cold," She hated that she had to end their comfort, but she had noticed Lilly start to shiver and she didn't want her catching a cold. Secretly, Miley was scared that they would never get to do something like this again, and that once they got out, everything would go back to being so real.

Lilly hesitated, but then nodded. She pulled away, and Miley helped her sit up. Miley stood up and made sure Lilly was stable. She then stepped out of the bath, dripping water on the floor, and dried herself with a towel. She grabbed another towel for Lilly and went to help her out of the bath.

There was a knock on the door. Miley panicked, suddenly, "Y-yes?" She called out.

"Miles, I got hold of Lilly's mom. She's on her way," Robby Ray said through the door, "Is everything going okay in there?"

Miley sighed in relief. She was scared that he would have opened the door. "Yeah, Daddy, we're… I'm just helping her out of the bath now,"

"Alright, take your time," With that, she heard his footsteps drift away down the hall.

Immediately, Miley went back to helping Lilly out of the bath. Once Lilly had managed to step out of the tub, Miley had found that she was shivering too badly to dry herself off, so Miley gently used the towel to dry off Lilly's body. Once she had gotten her mostly dry, Miley looked at Lilly and took her hand in hers.

"Come on," She said with a faint smile, "Let's get some clothes on and get warm. Then we can wrap up your wounds,"

They exited the bathroom, both wrapped in towels, and slowly made their way to Miley's room. Miley sat Lilly down on her bed again, and went to grab Lilly the most comfortable pajamas she could fine. "Here, I'll help you put them on,"

Lilly nodded and Miley helped her put her legs through a pair of boxer shorts, and then pajamas bottoms. Miley stood up and got the shirt ready for Lilly to put on. She put the shirt over Lilly's head and helped her get her arms through he arm holes. Miley stood back and she noticed Lilly's head was lowered, with tears in her eyes.

"Lilly, what's wrong?" She asked softly as she sat down next to her on the bed.

Lilly struggled to speak, "Wh-what if I get b-blood on them?" she asked, trying hard to hold back tears.

"Oh, honey," Miley took Lilly in her arms, "I don't care, that doesn't matter. All that matters to be is that you're alright,"

Lilly burst into tears and threw her arms around Miley. "Shhh, Lilly, it's alright," Miley whispered soothingly, holding her friend in her arms.

"M-Miley," Lilly sobbed, "I feel so…dirty…"

Before Miley could reply, there was a knock at the door. "Miles…?" It was her father, "Lilly's mom is here…" Miley bit down on her lip, afraid that this would mean Lilly would have to leave her. "Can we come in?"

Miley hesitated and looked down at Lilly. Lilly nodded weakly and pulled away from Miley. "Yeah, Daddy…" She stood up. "Come in,"

The door opened, and there stood Robby Ray. Behind him was Lilly's mother. Robby Ray walked in slowly, seeing how nervously Lilly looked at him, and left Heather Truscott frozen in the doorways; her face twisted with despair and confusion, and tears pouring down her cheek.

"Lilly," She whispered softly as she stepped into the room, "Oh Lilly,"


	4. Chapter 4

Heather Truscott extended her arms and rushed towards her daughter. "Oh Lilly! Oh sweetheart!" She nearly knocked her daughter over onto Miley's bed as she embraced Lilly tightly in a hug. "Lilly! Oh Lilly! What did he do to you!" She choked through her sobs.

Lilly couldn't explain why, but suddenly she could feel her blood boil. Her face became flushed and her body burned. She pulled away from her mother and fell back onto Miley's bed, coughing and sputtering with tears in her eyes. Miley rushed to her side and pulled her into her arms.

Heather stared down at her daughter, and the moist liquid that begun to soak through her daughters' shirt. "Wha..?" She stuttered, an expression of complete shock and confusion crossed her face, "Lilly…?"

Robby Ray stepped in and put his hand on Heather's shoulder. "Heather, let's go downstairs and talk.. I think she still needs a little time," He led her out of the room with no struggle. She was still in shock and couldn't grasp the situation. He made sure to shut the door as they left the room.

Miley held Lilly until she stopped crying. "Lilly.. hun, tell me what's going on?" Lilly sat up slowly and looked up at her.

"Miley…" She whispered, looking down and clinging onto both of Miley's sleeves. "When my mom hugged me… it burned… I…" Lilly was completely disoriented.

"Lilly, look at me," Miley said sternly, "I want to help you, so I need to know what happened. I have to know what I'm dealing with,"

Lilly sniffed and nodded, beginning to tremble. "H-he..." Miley had to lean forward and strain her ears to hear her, "He raped me…"

Miley froze. Of course, she had expected it, but hearing Lilly say it out loud struck her off guard and hindered her ability to think.

She sat there, staring at Lilly, unable to move. Lilly looked up at her, pleadingly, and then turned away shamefully. She began to weep softly.

Miley snapped back, feeling the tears in her own eyes. She reached for Lilly, "Lilly… Lilly! I'm sorry, I had to process it," Her voice was panicked and soon she began desperately stroking Lilly's hair, "Oh… Lilly… Lilly, I'm so sorry,"

Lilly grabbed onto Miley. "He was drunk… He thought I was my mom… He said he used to hit us… my mom and me… when she hugged me… all I could feel is pain…Her pain, my pain; the pain he caused… I don't know if I can get over it…"

Miley held Lilly closer, not knowing what to say, "Whatever happens, Lilly, you have me," Lilly sniffed and nodded. Miley hesitated before continuing, "But we have to deal with this. We can't let this beat us. We'll take it one step at a time, and I'll be with you every step of the way… I'll talk with your mom…"

"B-but," Lilly trembled, "You're dad… I know he'd never hurt me… but, h-he's like my second dad… and it's just… after what my real dad did to me…"

"Shhh, Lilly, I know… We'll take it one step at a time…" Miley lulled.

They sat in silence for several minutes. "Um… Miley… could you… check on my mom…?"

Miley nodded, "Mmhm," She stood up and brushed Lilly's hair out of face so that she could see Lilly's beautiful blue eyes, "Will you be alright here by yourself for a few minutes?"

"I-I think so," Lilly looked down at the bed covers.

Miley hesitated and then leaned over to kiss Lilly on the forehead. "I wont be long,"

Lilly watched her leave as she walked through the door.

Miley started to walk downstairs. Eventually the sound of Heather's weeping came into earshot.

"Hey, Heather, it's okay," She heard her father say, "Look, I know it all seems overwhelming right now, but we'll get through this. Miles is helping Lilly in everyway she can, and until then—"

Miley entered the living room and they both looked up at her. Heather immediately sat up. "How is she?"

Miley took a deep breath before answering. "She's… scared… but she's able to talk and understand,"

"What did he do to her…?" Heather's voice was nearly a whisper, "Why did she go see him? I told her not to see him…" Heather lost her breath and staggered back down onto the couch in tears. Robby Ray placed his hand on her back to help steady her.

Miley walked closer and sat down in an armchair. "I…" she started fiddling with her hands nervously, "I don't know why Lilly decided to go… She was supposed to come over here instead, but… I guess… she changed her mind, and at the last minute… She told me that he was drunk… he was drunk, and…" Miley stopped talking. She just couldn't say it.

She looked up and saw Lilly's mother leaning forwards, staring anxiously at her, while clinging tightly to Robby Ray's hand. "He what…?" She whispered, "Miley, what did he do…?"

Miley looked away as she felt tears gathering in her eyes. "He raped her," She whispered softly.

There was a silence that probably seemed longer that it actually was. "Wh…what?" Miley looked up to her father's and Lilly's mother's mortified faces. It was more than she could handle; telling Lilly's mother that her daughter, her Lilly, had been raped. She looked away again. "Miley… No… no, it can't be… He would never go that far,"

"He was drunk… He…" Miley closed her mouth, deciding not to tell Lilly's mother that he had thought that Lilly was her. "He was drunk…" Miley heard Heather start to weep. Robby Ray put his arm around her. "Sh-she's just really scared right now, but she knows we're all here for her… She just needs… time…"

"Miles, why don't you go back upstairs and make sure Lilly's okay," Robby Ray smiled softly at her. "I'm sure Heather will agree that it's best if Lilly stays here for awhile,"

Miley looked over at Heather, who sniffled and nodded slowly. Although Miley was happy to know that Lilly would be able to stay with her, the expression on Heather's face nearly tore her apart. "Okay… Thanks Daddy…" She turned to walk back up the stairs.

"Miley…?" She heard Heather call after her. Miley turned around, "… Thank you for taking care if my baby girl…"

Miley smiled reassuringly back at her. "I'd do anything for Lilly," Having said that, she turned back around and walked up the stairs.

As Miley neared her room, she heard Lilly sobbing.

As soon as Miley had left, Lilly immediately felt fear overcome her. She sat in Miley's bed and pulled her knees to her chest and began to rock back and forth. She became very neurotic and jumped at the slightest sound. She wrapped herself in Miley's sheets, trying to surround herself with Miley's smell.

Being left alone caused her memories of the night to come flooding back.

_Her father smirked and sat up, dismounting her. She lay motionless, afraid to move. _

"_There," He said smugly, "You know, if I did this to Lil, that friend of hers wouldn't go near her. She'd be a soiled, dirty little girl. I bet she'd probably even discover she liked it… we should see whenever I get to see her next," He spat onto the floor. "I'm outta booze. I'm steppin' out to get some more,"_

_Lilly remained frozen for several minutes, and then saw her chance and staggered out the door._

"_Miley… Miley don't leave me,"_

Lilly choked out a sob. _Does Miley want me around? Am I dirty and soiled? Miley please don't leave me…_

Miley burst back into the bedroom and ran to Lilly's side. "Lilly, what's wrong?"

Lilly stopped sobbing and looked up at Miley. She grasped onto Miley's sleeve. "M-Miley?" She whimpered, "Am I dirty? Am I soiled? Do you not want to come near me? Do you not want me?"

Miley's eyes widened in confusion, "Wh-what? Lilly, what are you--?"

Lilly broke back down into sobs and shrunk away from Miley, curling into a ball. "Y-you shouldn't come near me… M-Miley I'm dirty… I'm disgusting… H-he did something to me that can n-never be taken away…I'm worthle--"

"Lilly!" Miley shouted, Lilly looked up at Miley, surprised. Miley swiftly leaned forwards. She placed her hands on Lilly's chin and lifted her face upwards. She moved into a soft, melting kiss, feeling the comfort of Lilly's warm lips between her own. She could taste the salt of Lilly's tears trickle to her lips. She lingered for a moment longer and then pulled away slowly. Miley looked into Lilly's eyes, which were painted with confusion and desire. Brushing Lilly's hair behind her ears, she smiled softly. "Don't you ever say anything like that again, Lilly. How could I not want you? You're beautiful…"

More tears welled in Lilly's eyes, but she threw herself into Miley's arms and began to bawl. Miley smiled, and began to cry too. She wasn't sure if she had done the right thing. She was worried that she had taken advantage of Lilly in a fragile state, but then she heard Lilly say something through her sobs.

"I-I love you Miley," she choked, "I love you, don't leave me,"

Miley smiled and her tears began to fall faster, "Oh, Lilly, I love you too," Miley chocked back a sob, "I-I'll never leave you,"

The two girls sobbed in each other's arms, holding each other tightly. When they both eventually calmed down, they maneuvered underneath the covers of Miley's bed. Lilly rested herself in Miley's arms and closed her eyes. Miley smiled and kissed Lilly's head, breathing in the sweet, familiar aroma of her hair. "Miley…" Lilly whispered, "I only feel safe when I'm with you…"

Miley stroked Lilly's hair, "And I never want to leave your side… I never want to be away from you… When I'm with you, you're all that matters…"

Lilly moved closer into Miley's arms. "I love you…" She said softly.

"And I love you… goodnight, Lilly…"

Lilly yawned, "Goodnight… Miley…" Lilly soon fell asleep in Miley's arms. Miley had nearly fallen asleep too when her door opened and her father stepped in.

"Shhh," She hushed softly, nodding her head towards the sleeping blonde. Her father nodded.

"Lilly's mom fell asleep on the couch… I put some blankets over her, she's pretty exhausted.." Miley nodded at him. "Just letting you know… We'll handle it in he morning… Jackson just got back from the police station. He's pretty worried about you two, so be sure to check in with him too,"

"Okay… Thank you, Daddy,"

Robby Ray hesitated, and then smiled, "I love you, Miles. We'll get through this,"

Miley smiled back at him," I love you too Daddy. Goodnight,"

"Goodnight," With one final loving look, he shut the door behind him.

The room grew quiet again, and Miley looked down at Lilly, who was still asleep in her arms. Lilly stirred in her sleep. Miley knew, in the morning, more difficulties would come, but for now she was glad that Lilly could sleep. She looked out her balcony window, at the moon shining through the glass, casting a haunting shadow. She kissed Lilly's head once more before closing her eyes.

Not long after, she was awoken by a commotion coming from outside her balcony window.


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own Hannah Montana. This story does not represent the actors or actresses in the television show.**

Miley jolted up at the sound of a soft tapping on her balcony window. Liley was awoken by Miley's sudden movement and clung to her in fear.

"M-Miley…" She whispered, "What is it?"

"There's something outside on the balcony… stay here," Miley got up out of bed, separating from a reluctant Lilly who curled into a tight ball. Slowly, Miley inched towards the balcony. She squinted, and was absolutely sure she saw the figure of someone outside.

"Who.. Who's there?" Miley demanded, trying to sound brave.

There was a small crashing noise as the figure stumbled over itself. "Ow…" The figure mumbled, "Miles it's me,"

Miley sighed and reached to open the door to let him in. "Jesus, Oliver! You just took ten years off of my life,"

"Sorry…" Oliver muttered a he walked in through the door. "I saw Jackson frantically driving down the street while I was out on my evening man-jog. He nearly took me out. I thought maybe something bad had happened…" His gaze drifted over to Lilly. "Hey Lils,"

Lilly scooted away and started to quiver. Oliver look at her in confusion, then turned to Miley with the same questioning look. She lowered her head and spoke softly. "Oliver… Something _did _happen… with Lilly…"

Oliver looked from Miley to Lilly. He took a few steps closer to Lilly. "Lilly, you okay?" Lilly whimpered and jerked away.

"Oliver… she's still a little… scared…" Miley walked over her him and gently pulled him away from the bed. She had to physically turn him towards her to look him in the eyes, which were filled with confusion and worry. "Oliver… Oliver! Listen… Lilly's really fragile right now… she can't even have her mom around her… I know it's not fair to not tell you the whole story, but I promise I will fill you in later and keep you in the loop,"

Oliver continued to stare at Miley blankly, and then turned back to look at Lilly. Then he shook his head and nodded. "Okay Miles… Just… please take care of her, alright?"

Miley nodded back at him, "I will. You can count on it,"

He leaned in to give Miley a tight, warm hug. Miley hugged him back, sighing in his friendly embrace. "Thanks, Oliver…"

Oliver smiled as he started walking towards the balcony door. "Just remember," As he reached the balcony door, he turned around and gave a goofy salute, "If anything comes up, officer Oaken is on the call,"

Miley chuckled at his new persona, "You're on speed dial, sir," She reassured him.

He smiled softly as he turned around to leave, giving one last sad look towards Lilly, who was still curled up in a ball, shaking.

As soon as Oliver had started climbing down the side of the house, Miley felt the first drop of oncoming rain drop on her arm. Sighing, she shut the door and turned back towards Lilly and walked over to her, scooping her up in her arms and laying down in the bed with her. Lilly started to cry.

"Lilly… Lilly, honey, shhh. It's okay,"

Lilly clung to her, "M-Miley, it was just Oliver," she sobbed, "But I couldn't… I just couldn't,"

Miley cradled her back and forth. "Shhh, Lilly I know. One step at a time,"

Lilly sniffled and nodded. Miley kissed the top of Lilly's head and Lilly relaxed. She stroked Lilly's hair in silence for a long while. Eventually she stopped and gently rested her hand on Lilly's stomach. Lilly stirred; she couldn't relax.

"Miley… Will you sing to me?" Lilly requested timidly.

Miley smiled, "Of course, Lilly. What would you like to hear?"

"Anything," Lilly trembled, "I just like to hear the sound of your voice,"

After a few moments of deep thought, a smile spread across Miley's face as she had decided on the perfect song to sing. It was a lullaby that her mother had always used to hum for her when she was sad. Clearing her throat, she began to hum the sweet low melody.

Lilly shut her eyes and started to relax. Miley gave her a soft squeeze and rested her head on top of Lilly's. Soon, Lilly was breathing softly in her arms. This time, Miley did fall asleep. Almost as immediately as she did, Lilly's eyes shot open, and she became restless. Not having Miley awake and there to talk, or hum, or stroke her skin made Lilly scared. She knew it was unfair to keep Miley awake just so she could sleep, so she decided to tough it out.

Lilly looked up and studied Miley's peaceful face. She smiled and leaned in to kiss her cheek. Lilly snuggled deeper into Miley's embrace and closed her eyes, breathing in Miley's scent. In her sleep, Miley pulled Lilly closer, and sighed with comfort and satisfaction.

Lilly closed her eyes and finally found herself drifting of to sleep. However, her slumber was not peaceful. Livid nightmares plagued her. Her father towered over her and kept running his hands over her body. She couldn't bring herself to move. And standing in a doorway, watching all of this in disgust stood Miley.

"Lilly…" Miley tried shaking her friend out of her nightmare, "Lilly!"

Lilly's eyes shot open as she cried out. Her cheeks were wet with tears, and after looking around the room disoriented, she met eye with Miley.

"Lilly… are you alright? You started crying in your sleep,"

Lilly looked away as the memory of her dream flooded back to her. She nodded. "Yeah… It was just a bad dream,"

Miley frowned and pulled Lilly into her warm embrace. "Oh, Lill… its okay,"

Both of them jumped at the sudden crashing coming from the balcony window. Lilly began to shake. Miley squeezed Lilly's hand. "It's alright Lilly, it's probably just Oliver not wanting to get caught in he rain," Miley sat up to go over and open the balcony door. The door handle rattled viciously. "Alright, alright, hold on, you doughnut," She muttered as she stood up out of bed.

Lilly's hand shot out and grabbed Miley by the shirtsleeve. "Miley, don't," She breathed weakly. Her face was scared and pale.

"Lilly, it's alright, I'll just—" She was interrupted by the noise of shattering glass. She looked over to the balcony in shock as a shaking hand emerged from where glass had once been. Miley took a step back in bewilderment as a man staggered through the opening he had created. She knew; it was Lilly's father.

Everything seemed to move so slow to her. She looked over at Lilly, who withdrew into a ball and shook violently, tears gathering in her eyes and an expression of terror on her face.

Miley rushed to her side and tried to pull her up so they could run, but Lilly was paralyzed with fear. "Lilly!" Miley pleaded, "We have to go,"

Lilly could do nothing more than stare at her father as he slowly stumbled closer.

"Saw some kid come out the window…" he mumbled, scarcely audible, "Thought I'd find you here," He looked up and his eyes focused on Lilly. "Lilly… I saw your mom earlier. We had a talk… we don't need you anymore," Suddenly he stopped and looked at Miley, as if he had just noticed she was in the room. "Oh.. is this your fag friend…?"

Lilly looked at Miley as she saw her father start in the direction of her friend. She gathered every ounce of energy she had and shot up, and yanking Miley towards the door to the hallway. "Miley!!" She shouted, tears in her eyes, "Go!!"

Miley had become frozen in fear, and couldn't respond until Lilly had forced her out of the room shut the door, locking it behind her. Once she realized what had happened, she turned around and started pounding frantically on the door. "Lilly! Lilly!!" She sobbed, "Open the door! Get out of there! Please! Lilly!!"

Jackson's door opened, as well as Robby Ray's and they rushed into the hall. At the sight of them, Miley collapsed into her father's arms. "Help her!" she whimpered, "He's in there with her,"

Jackson immediately started attempts to break the door open.

Inside Miley's room, Lilly had her back against the door, as her father staggered towards her. Tears of fear, confusion, and rage wet her face. "Don't you dare," she seethed through clenched teeth, "even _think_ about touching Miley," Her words were brave but she trembled with fear.

As he grew mere inches away from her, he stopped. He gently put his hand on her face, and she shuddered at the touch of his cold fingers. He looked down at her, and his eyes were almost sad. They caught Lilly off guard, but his eyes suddenly filled with rage as he hit Lilly, catching her in the side of the jaw with his fist. Lilly cried out in pain and was thrown to the floor from the impact.

As she tried to pick herself up, but pushed her head back to the ground and pinned her with his foot. Her kicked her in the ribs until she rolled onto her back, and then placed his foot on her chest. He started grinding down, his heavy boots finding their way to her neck. She began coughing and gasping for air.

Everything hurt and became slow to her. Her vision became blurry her hearing became muffled. It became harder and harder to think, and eventually, she couldn't remember what was going on. Still, she could hear the pounds on the door and Miley screaming her name, but soon, that too seemed to fade away from her.

The door burst open, breaking off the hinges. Jackson flew into the room, with Robby Ray behind him. Robby Ray immediately rushed towards Lilly's father and knocked him over, off of Lilly. Lilly coughed weakly and curled up into a ball.

Miley, who was standing frozen in the doorway with tears in her eyes, rushed over to Lilly. "Lilly," she sobbed, "Lilly get up,"

Robby Ray wrestled Lilly's father onto the ground and pinned him down. "How dare you come into my house and attack my girls!" Rage flickered in his eyes. Jackson ran over to his father and helped him pin the man down.

Meanwhile, Miley gathered Lilly up in her arms and continued to sob. "Lilly, come on, sweety. Get up,"

Lilly reached a trembling hand and touched Miley's tear-stained face. Miley placed her hand on Lilly's. She smiled weakly. "Miley," she croaked, "I love you, don't let him hurt you,"

Miley couldn't see Lilly's face clearly through all of the tears in her eyes. She shut her eyes tightly and trembled with sobs.

Lillys father had managed to throw Robby Ray and Jackson off of him, knocking them into the bedpost and rendering them dazed. He then flung himself desperately towards the two girls. "She's mine!" He cried, vicious tears stinging his eyes, "She's mine to deal with!"

He grabbed Lilly by the hair and yanked her away from Miley's arms. Miley was left kneeling on the ground, blankly staring at her suddenly empty arms where Lilly had just been. She looked up in shock to see Lilly being dragged out of the room, her face twisted in pain, and desperately trying to escape his grasp.

Miley stood up, but her legs were shaking so violently that she fell back down to her knees. She tried to cry out Lilly's name, but her voice wasn't responding to her will. A whimper of despair was all that she could manage out of her throat. She was scared; terrified. How could Lilly have gone through this before? And alone, at that? She collapsed into herself and started to bawl. "Lilly," she whimpered, staring helplessly as Lilly disappeared down the hallway, being dragged into the bathroom. She heard the door slam shut and lock. "Daddy, Jackson… Help Lilly,"

Robby Ray and Jackson were slowly coming to and pulled themselves up. "Jackson," Robby Ray ordered, "Take care of Miley,"

Jackson nodded and ran over to Miley, who was a mess of sobs. "Miles… Miley, it'll be okay,"

Robby Ray ran out of the room, to the bathroom door. He started pounding against the door. "Open the door you bastard! Don't you _dare_ touch her!"

Heather suddenly appeared in the hallway. "Robby," she asked, visibly scattered, "What's going on?"

Robby Ray turned to her suddenly realizing the tears in his eyes. Heather stared at him, and without any words being said, she understood what was going on. She fell to her knees, overcome with grief.

"Heather!" He cried, "Get into Miley's room and stay there with Jackson and Miley!"

Thoughtlessly, Heather wandered into Miley's room. As she entered, Miley and Jackson looked up at her, and Miley flung herself into her arms. Heather slid to her knees as Miley sobbed. "I-I couldn't protect her," she choked, "I couldn't keep her safe," Her sobs echoed through the room.

In the hallway, Robby ray broke the door open ran into the room, only to find it thrashed and empty; the window open, letting the cold wind blowing through.


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors or actresses in the television show. **

Lilly was dragged into the bathroom by the hair by her father. He threw her against the side wall and panted over her. His face was red, and his lower lip was bleeding. She could see his veins bulging out from his neck. Glaring down at her, he raised his fist and knocked her across the face. Lilly felt the sting linger hot on her swollen cheek.

"You're not worth all of this shit," he muttered as he fumbled to unbutton his pants.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Lilly stuttered. He didn't answer her and Lilly didn't know whether or not to be terrified or enraged. He started to lower his pants. "H-hey! I'm your daughter! I'm Lilly!"

He stopped and looked at her blankly. Then he laughed coldly. "Shit, I know that,"

"Then why are you--?"

"I realized what I'd done after you left. Talk about fucked up, huh?" He chuckled to himself. "As much as I hated myself, I figured, I'm not getting away with it, so why not go all out? Fuck like, you know? Fuck it. I've fucked up, and I'm never going to be able to fix it. And you know why else, Lil?"

Lilly stared at him, unable to respond.

"It felt really fucking good with you. Better than Heather ever was," He studied her expression and took a step back. "What, you don't want to? …Would you rather me go back and get Heather? Or, I could probably get off on your dyke friend. It would never be as good as you, don't get me wrong, but the two of them might even it out,"

"You're sick…" Lilly looked away from him, tears in her eyes. "Do what you want with me, just don't touch my mom or Miley,"

Lilly's father smiled down at her, "I'm glad we worked that out," He turned, and suddenly noticed Robby Ray had nearly opened the door. He flew to the windowed and opened it, knocking the screen out. However, instead of bringing up the idiotic idea of going out the window like Lilly thought he would, he grabbed Lilly and went behind the shower curtains.

The door burst open and what followed was an uncanny silence. Her father's hand was over her mouth, and he gave Lilly a look that told her, if she made any noise, there would be big trouble. With Miley and her mother in mind, Lilly stayed silent.

"Shit," Robby Ray cursed, "Heather! Jackson! Miley! We gotta get outside! He took her out the window!"

There was a stampede of hurried footprints that faded down the hall and stairs until they could no longer be heard. After what seemed like minutes, the hand slowly left her mouth and her father pulled her up and then threw her to the ground. Lilly cried out as pain shot through her spine. When she opened her eyes to look up, her father was once again towering over her, reaching to pull down his pants. Once they were halfway down, he pulled a hunter's knife out of his pocket and flipped it open. He saw Lilly's eyes go directly to the blade.

"It was my father's," He said, smiling at it reminiscently. His smile faded as he knelt down and pulled her shirt up. He dragged the knife across Lilly's chest, in between her breasts. "He was a bastard, but it's all he left me," He said coldly and then he laughed. "You can keep it when I'm done with it. I'll leave it to you like he left it to me,"

As he continued to ramble on, Lilly winced and shook with pain. A whimper escaped her lips and he shushed her. "Shhh," He closed the knife and dropped it to the floor as a river of blood trickled down Lilly's torso. "Let's try and stay quiet, okay? We wouldn't want Heather and your dyke friend to find us in here… Don't worry, this will be the last time, and I'll make it worth it,"

There was a long silence as he lowered himself on top of her, smearing the blood that ran down her body. "H-her name is Miley," She whimpered, "And I love her,"

"Just shut up and keep quiet,"

Lilly shut her eyes, and once again felt the same burning pain pulse throughout her body; the same feeling that she prayed she would never have to feel again after the first time.

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Miley was the last one to get outside. The rain was pounding down on the pavement, and she began running down the sidewalk.

"Miley!" Father yelled after her, "Get back here!"

"Lilly!!" She screamed, unable to hear her own voice over the rain. "Lilly!!" She didn't get far before she slipped and fell to the ground, skinning her palms and knees. Again, she collapsed into a heap of sobs.

Robby Ray ran over to her, lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the porch. "Miles, Jackson and I get in the car and keep looking, alright? Heather's going to the police, why don't you go back inside, okay?"

Miley wanted to keep searching for Lilly, but mentally, it was all more than she could take, and this caused her body to shut down physically. Her father set her down. "Go dry off, Miles, okay?" Miley nodded at her father absently and walked back into the house.

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Lilly's father was finishing pulling his pants back up. She looked at him, emotionlessly, as she continued to lay shirtless and bleeding on the bathroom floor.

He turned to her and smiled, Lilly was confused by the tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry I'm such a fuck up, Lil," He said sincerely. Lilly stared at him, suddenly feeling sorry for him. After a silence, he smirked. Making his way over to the window, he stepped up onto the balcony. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a pistol. Lilly froze, not knowing what he was planning on doing.

"But you know, it runs in the family," With nothing more than those last words, he closed his eyes, and pulled the trigger. Lilly watched, unable to look away, as his body started to fall backwards out the window. A trickle of his blood lingered in the air after him, but fell after him.

He was gone. Lilly sat in silence. The explosion of the gun left her ears ringing. Unexpected tears of sadness and horror poured down Lilly's face yet she remained expressionless. She sensed someone watching her, and turned to see Miley standing in the doorway.

Miley seemed as if she just could not take any more. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she stared at Lilly, at her bleeding chest, at her silent tears. She collapsed onto the blonde and began sobbing violently. Lilly wrapped her arms around Miley, who buried her face into Lilly's neck.

"I-I h-heard the gunsh-shot, and I w-was so sc-scared that you had been--" Her sobbing overpowered her ability to finish the sentence.

Lilly held her tightly. Though tears trickled down her cheeks, she didn't cry. "Miley, shhh," She hushed, "It's okay, I'm right here," She suddenly smiled, realizing that their rolls had switched. She stroked Miley's hair and kissed her tenderly on the forehead. She knew that she had to be strong for Miley now. Miley had taken her in and loved her and helped her, and Lilly couldn't stand to see her go through any more pain.

Miley choked through her sobs. "I-I thought I'd l-lost you! I th-thought I'd never g-get to s-see you again!"

"I'm never going to let anyone take me away from you," Lilly whispered.

Miley continued to sob, and then after some time, she suddenly looked up at Lilly with pleading eyes. "Lilly," she breathed, "Did… did he…?" She felt Lilly flinch beneath her, and she looked away from Miley, looking pained.

Before anything else could be said, they heard desperate shouts from Jackson coming up the stairs. "Miles? Miles! We heard gunshots and then saw Lilly's father fall from the--" He arrived at the bathroom door, and look down at them. He quickly transitioned through three stages of emotions.

At first, he was shock and scared, seeing the blood all around the tile floor. Then he seemed relieved when he noticed that for the most part, both girls were alright. The last emotion was brought on with the sudden realization that Lilly was still shirtless. He spun around quickly, hiding the shade of bright red his face turned.

"D-Dad and Lilly's mom are outside waiting for the police. The…" He hesitated, "The body's… still down there. They're going to want to talk to Lilly…"

Miley looked at Lilly with an uneasy expression. Lilly smiled softly and squeezed Miley's hand. She simply nodded at Jackson.

"We'll be downstairs," Jackson turned to leave down the hallway, but before he left, he shuffled his feet. "I'm so glad you're both okay…" With that, he left.

Miley looked back up at Lilly. "Lilly… will you be okay talking to the police?"

Lilly grabbed her hand and kissed it. "I'm going to have to sooner or later. I want to get it over with. Besides…" Miley could see the fear and pain behind Lilly's stern eyes, "I don't want them to take me away from you… When I'm done talking with them, I want to come straight back to you,"

Miley's tears thickened and she rested her head back on Lilly's shoulder. "Lilly," She sniffed, "I never want to be apart from you. I never want to loose you,"

"You wont," Lilly said softly, "I wont let anything stop us from being together,"

Miley sat up, and looked deep into Lilly's eyes. As brave and composed as Lilly was trying to act, she still saw the terrified girl who trembled daintily in a ball behind her eyes. She knew Lilly was still scarred and terrified, but that she was trying desperately for Miley's sake. She could see Lilly's love for her within the smallest detail in her blazing blue eyes.

After gazing into Lilly's eyes a moment longer, she leaned forwards and softly kissed Lilly's bottom lip.

Lilly closed her eyes and savored Miley's warm kiss. Miley caressed the back of Lilly's neck and moved closer. Lilly wrapped her arms round Miley, but they were cut short when Lilly cringed with pain.

"Are you okay?" Miley asked as she pushed Lilly's hair back behind her ears.

Lilly nodded, trying to hide a grimace. Miley sat back, pulling away from Lilly, but Lilly grabbed her and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Love hurts," She whispered in Miley's ear. "It always will. We'll worry, we'll cry, we'll grieve… but I'm willing to be in pain for, and with you, because I know we'll make it through, and that the joy will override the pain," Lilly paused, "As cliché as that came out I mean every word…"

Miley shut her eyes, and hugged Lilly tightly; her tears ran heavy down her cheeks. "I love you, Lilly,"

Lilly smiled rested her head on Miley's. "I love you too, Miley… Now and always,"

They were interrupted by the sound of police sirens nearing.

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After Miley had given Lilly a shirt to put on, Lilly was taken into the squadron car, despite Miley's reluctance. Lilly had to reassure her several time, and leave Miley under the care of her mother. Robby Ray was being questioned over on the side of the house, where the body of Lilly's father still remained.

Lilly felt amazingly awkward as, when she got into the squad car, Mrs. Oaken was the one who would be questioning her.

"Hello, Lilly, sweetheart," She said, smiling sympathetically.

Lilly squirmed in her seat, "H-hello Mrs. Oaken,"

Mrs. Oaken sat back, "Why don't you tell me what happened? Try not to leave anything out,"

Lilly sighed, wanting to make this meeting as short as possible. "My father had been trying to contact me. He sent me notes and called the school and told me to meet him at his apartment. I was stupid and ended up going, even after Miley told me it was a bad idea." Lilly stopped, and waited for Mrs. Oaken to finish writing, "When I got there, he was drunk and disoriented… He… raped me, and left, which was when I retreated to Miley's house. Miley and her family took care of me, called my mom, filed a police report, but he climbed up the balcony window in the middle of the night, and a struggle broke out. My father ended up getting a hold of me and taking me into the bathroom. He faked that he escaped out the window with me, and hid us behind a curtain. Everyone went looking for us outside us, and… he raped me again. He was saying how fucked up he was, and that he was just going to go all out because he could never go back. Then he put a gun to his head and shot it,"

Lilly noticed that Mrs. Oaken had stopped writing, and looked up at Lilly with a sad look on her face. Lilly realized she was crying, which came as a shock to her. She sniffed and started wiping her eyes.

"Sweetheart, it's okay now. It's over, and we're going to take care of it from here," Mrs. Oaken put her on Lilly's back and rubbed it soothingly.

Lilly nodded, trying to compose herself again. "Okay,"

"There will be some test that we will need to get done as soon as possible. For your safety and knowledge,"

"C-can we take care of that tomorrow?" Lilly felt tears build back up in her eyes.

Mrs. Oaken smiled. "Of course, sweetheart. Whenever you're ready. Just make sure it's within the next few days,"

Lilly nodded again.

"Alright, you've had a very long night… Why don't you go on back inside, sweetheart? Thank you for your cooperation," As Lilly turned to open the door Mrs. Oaken said one last thing. "Oliver's worried about you… I'll tell him you'll be okay… Just know he'll be standing by to support you when you're ready,"

"Thank you…" Lilly stood up and walked out of the squad car. She went straight back into the house, past her mother and Robby Ray, who were still being questioned, and straight upstairs to Miley's room. Miley flew into towards her as she entered, and as soon as Lilly saw her, her legs began to tremble, and she fell into Miley's arms, beginning to sob.

She couldn't keep it together after all.


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors or actresses in the television show. **

Both Lilly and Miley had managed to make it over to Miley's bed and collapsed into each other's arms after they had stopped crying. Miley was exhausted, and after snuggling close to Lilly, she was out like a light.

Lilly lay with her arms around Miley, listening to her soft snoring accompanied by the rain dropping down on the roof. It relaxed her, and she closed her eyes.

But… It runs in the family…

The voiced echoed in her head, and Lilly opened her eyes again. She fought back her tears; she didn't want to cry anymore tonight, but now that it was quiet, Lilly had trouble stopping these thoughts from circling in her head.

Miley stirred next to her and mumbled in her sleep. Lilly looked at the brunette in her arms. Fresh tears trickled down her cheeks as she slept and she looked to be in distress.

"Oh Miley," Lilly whispered, "You've already cried so much for me…" Lilly lowered her head, and kissed Miley's cheek. "I don't want you to be sad anymore… I'll be strong, and together we'll get through this, and we can be happy,"

Miley seemed to relax in her arms and snuggle closer to her. Lilly smiled and started caressing Miley's arm. Being closer to Miley was more important than the darkness that provoked her thoughts. The warmth of Miley's body against hers made her feel safe. The simple feeling Miley's chest and stomach going up and down with each breath made Lilly smile uncontrollably.

She tried closing her eyes again, making sure to concentrate on the girl in her arms, and how much she loved her. Lilly started to relax, but she suddenly became aware of how much pain she was in, as well as how sick she felt.

Reluctantly, she gentle tapped Miley. "Miles… I have to go to the bathroom…"

Miley sat up tiredly and rubbed her eyes. "Okay," She yawned, "Let's go,"

Lilly smiled, "You don't have to go with me,"

Miley was already getting out of bed, and extending her arms towards Lilly. Lilly took Miley's hands in hers, and they walked down the hall to the bathroom. Miley entered the bathroom and looked around, confused. The room was still smeared with blood. She looked at Lilly, concerned. "Um… let's use the bathroom downstairs,"

"It doesn't matter, Miles," Lilly half smiled.

Miley shook her head. Then, she stared at Lilly and a sudden expression of shock crossed her face. "Oh, shit, Lilly! We never cleaned your other cut!"

Lilly wanted to laugh. She had completely forgotten too, but seeing Miley realize it the way she did was almost comical. "It's not that bad, Miley, it can wait.

"Come on," Miley said as she grabbed Lilly's hand. "First off, we're not using this bathroom until it's cleaned. Second off, we're going downstairs and using the shower to clean you up,"

Lilly smiled, but said nothing, allowing Miley to lead the way downstairs to the bathroom.

Once they had gotten to the bathroom, Miley walked over to the shower and reached over to turn the hot water on. Then, she turned around to face Lilly. Her expression was embarrassed but cheerful, "Um... Let's undress. I'll go in with you,"

Lilly smiled and nodded, completely adoring how cute Miley was when she was embarrassed. Lilly had to admit, that she was also considerably excited. The last time she and Miley had gone into the bath, she was still too shaken up to really take in contact with Miley's body. It had certainly made her feel safe and warm and protected, but now Lilly was coherent and felt the urge to be close with Miley in a different way; even though she knew she would still feel safe.

Lilly turned away shyly and pulled off her shirt. Miley did the same and glanced over at Lilly. She could see the cuts that lined her body and the dried blood on her torso. She could also see Lilly's labored breathing through her rattled ribcage. Miley cringed and turned away. It almost hurt her too much to look.

Lilly was just finishing removing her bottoms and standing up when she felt Miley's arms wrap around her from behind. Chills shot through her body as she felt Miley's bare body press against her back.

They stood there in their embrace for a long while with no sound except the rushing water of the shower. The mirror began to fog over when Lilly realized Miley was shaking. She started to turn around but Miley tightened her grip on her.

"Lilly," She sobbed, "How could he do this to you? You're so beautiful…"

Lilly smiled and placed her hands on Miley's arms, letter her know it was okay. Miley loosened her grip, and Lilly turned around to face her. "Shh, sweety, it's all behind us," She wiped Miley's tears away from his eyes.

Miley shut her eyes to clear the rest of her tears away and leaned forwards to gently catch Lilly's lips with hers. When she pulled away, she looked up tenderly at Lilly, who was smiling softly back at her.

Miley looked down at Lilly's cut up torso and gently brushed her fingertips around the wounds. She looked back up at Lilly. "Let's get in… Before it gets cold…" She whispered.

The two girls joined hands and stepped behind the shower curtain. As soon as the water hit Lilly's cuts, she cringed, letting out a stifled grunt. Miley turned to her and gave her hand a squeeze.

They were both under the shower's spray; their hair became heavy and wet, and their skin slippery and smooth. They faced each other, and Miley reached for a washrag. Then, she gently brushed it across Lilly's abdomen.

Lilly tightened her grip on Miley's arm in pain and moaned through clenched teeth. Miley quickly pulled away and stepped back. "S-sorry,"

Lilly took a deep breath and then smiled at Miley. "Don't be," She pulled Miley back towards her and embraced her. Miley sighed and rested her head on Lilly's shoulder. She could feel Lilly's bare breast against her skin; slippery and warm. She could feel Lilly's pelvis just below hers.

Miley felt her body tense hungrily. She brought her head up ever so slightly and brushed her lips over Lilly's neck. Lilly gasped and shuddered with pleasure, tightening her arms around Miley. Miley then began suckling on the side of Lilly's neck, slowly making her way up to her earlobe.

When Miley became aware of Lilly's heavy breathing, she slowed down. She caught herself getting carried away and forgetting how hard breathing was for Lilly already. She eventually pulled away, and it was several seconds before Lilly caught her breath and rested her head on Miley's shoulder. "Miley… I feel so…"

"I know," Miley smiled softly.

Lilly leaned in to kiss Miley hard on the lips and ran her fingers up her waist. Miley leaned in as well, and wrapping her hand around the back of Lilly's neck, she pulled her closer. Their bodies danced with each other, sliding with the water.

Miley's hands wandered down, resting on Lilly's hips. She squeezed them lustfully, and suddenly, Lilly pulled away and slid to her knees. Miley leaned down with her and Lilly grasped her offered hands.

"Lilly, honey, what's wrong?"

Lilly was gasping and straining to breathe. With every sharp inhale she whimpered. Her head hung down, she started to cry. "M-Miley, don't look at me,"

Miley creased her brow in confusion and knelt down onto her knees, putting her arm around Lilly. "Baby, what are you talking about?"

Through her sobs, Lilly whimpered. "He's touched me.. I don't want you to have to touch what he's touched, it's so disgusting. I'm dirty. I can still feel him, he won't go away," She was practically in hysterics.

Miley pulled Lilly into her arms, despite Lilly's weak attempts to pull away. "Lilly, he'll never touch you again. He's gone, and he's not coming back… I won't let anyone touch you… I'm here for you Lilly, I want to be with you,"

"You can do so much better than me," Lilly sobbed as she collapsed into Miley's embrace.

"No. Lilly, look at me," Miley tipped Lilly's head up by the chin and made Lilly meet her stare. Lilly looked up at her sadly. "You're all I want, you're all I'll have, you're not dirty… You're Lilly, and I love you no matter what… We went too fast, you need some time… Just tell me what you need…"

Lilly whimpered. "I just want you to hold me," She curled into Miley's arms.

Miley smiled and kissed Lilly's forehead. "Always,"

As soon as Lilly settled down, the two girls stood up. "Thank you…" Lilly sniffed.

Miley reached to turn the shower off and then turned back to face Lilly. She smiled again and rested her hand on Lilly's cheek. Placing a light kiss on her lips, Miley blink back the tears in her eyes. "I'd do anything for you,"

After drying off and combing their hair off, the two got dressed and quietly headed back upstairs to Miley's room; Miley gently holding Lilly's hand in hers and leading the way.

They settled into bed, Miley holding Lilly in her arms. "Let's get some sleep, tomorrow will be a big day,"

Lilly nodded weakly and there was a short silence.

"…I love you… Miley…"

Miley stroked Lilly's arm with her thumbs and felt tears well up in her eyes. "I love you too Lilly… So much…"

Lilly relaxed and let out a satisfied sigh, snuggling closer to Miley. Soon, both girls finally fell into a peaceful sleep.

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Lilly stood outside of the doctor's clinic and stared ahead blankly. A police car was already parked in the lot when they had arrived. She could feel herself start to tremble.

A hand slipped into hers and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "It'll be okay," She heard Miley whisper softly. "I'm here with you every step of the way.

Lilly squeezed her hand back and swallowed. "Alright…let's go,"


	8. Chapter 8

**I don't own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the characters in the television show.**

Lilly and Miley sat awkwardly in the waiting room of the doctor's clinic. Every so often, Miley would glance over at Lilly and see her nervously biting her bottom lip, or nervously strumming her fingertips against the arm of the chair.

Miley herself was trying to look preoccupied and calm by thumbing through a magazine she had picked up from the coffee table that stood beside her. She had rested on a page with an article that compared all of the fires in Malibu over the years, but it was no use; she was too nervous to read. She glanced over at Lilly again.

Lilly had stopped showing any signs of nervous ticks and was staring into space. Miley reached over and grabbed her hand, stroking it gently. Lilly turned her head to look at Miley with sad eyes. Miley smiled lightly at her.

The door opened and they both turned their heads to see an older woman standing in the doorway with a clipboard. "Lillian Truscott?" She smiled warmly, with a trace of sadness on her lips. Miley and Lilly both looked at each other before standing up and following the woman back behind the door.

They were placed into a room, where Lilly was instructed to take a seat on the doctor's table. Miley took a seat in the chair next to the door. "Are you currently on any medications?" The woman asked as soon as Lilly had sat down.

Lilly looked at the woman, confused, and then answered. "No,"

"The doctors will see you in just a moment," The woman left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Silence hung heavy in the room, Miley was too nervous to look up at Lilly, but finally she did, Lilly responded to Miley's motion and they met eyes. Miley could see Lilly's tears starting to form. "M-Miley, I'm scared… I don't wanna do this,"

"I know Lil, but we have to," Miley looked at Lilly with nothing but compassion in her eyes.

The door opened and a man wearing a blue collared shirt, followed by two policemen; one of which was Mrs. Oaken. The man in the blue collared shirt was holding a clipboard that, Miley decided, was probably the same clipboard that the nurse had been holding before.

The man introduced himself. Lilly couldn't remember his name after he had told her. She studied his face. His eyes were a friendly vibrant blue, but they were tired and wrinkled. He wasn't that old, but Lilly figured that his job was a tiring and stressful job.

Lilly wasn't quite sure what exactly happened next, but she became aware that she was growing lightheaded and dizzy. The room began to spin and she wanted nothing more than to lay down. What she realized next were hands on her sides, and a voice saying: "Take it easy; breathe. Can you hear me?" It was a lower voice, definitely a male.

She could also hear another voice, which just by the tone, she could tell was Miley's. "Lilly? Lilly, are you okay?" Miley's voice sounded panicked.

Lilly slowly faded back into her surroundings and realized that she already was lying down. The doctor was leaning over her from one side, smiling softly, and Miley was leaning over her from the other, clutching onto Lilly's arm and tears on the rims of her eyes.

"There we go," The doctor said, "Welcome back, Lilly,"

"Wha…?" Lilly strained to get up.

"Whoa there, slow down," He slowly helped Lilly sit up, Miley still didn't release her grip on Lilly's arm and watched her intently. "You had us all scared there,"

Lilly looked around in confusion. Everyone in the room was staring at her.

"Is she okay?" Miley pleaded for an answer, "What happened?" Lilly could feel Miley's grip tighten on her arm.

The doctor chuckled, "It looks like, what we like to call, "White Coat Blood Pressure,"

Miley's face went pale. "What's that?" she asked terrified.

"Well, it's when the white coat of a doctor causes you to become so nervous your blood pressure rises. In short, just being nervous of the doctors office,"

Both girls stared at him with disbelief. He in return shrugged, "I know it's not the best way to put it, but I'm not the one who coined the phrase." He turned to Lilly and handed her a cup of water. "Here, drink this. Slowly, please. Let me know when you feel better, and we'll start,"

Lilly took the cup from him and nodded. She slowly brought it to her lips and took a small sip. Miley, she noticed, was still attached to her side and watching her. Lilly lowered the glass and smiled at her. "I'll be okay, Miles,"

Miley's grip loosened, but still she didn't let go.

Lilly paused for a moment, closing her eyes and collecting her thoughts, and took another sip of water. "Okay," She said after clearing her throat, "I'm ready,"

Miley gave Lilly's arm a reassuring squeeze.

Mrs. Oaken stepped forward and the doctor rose from his seat. Mrs. Oaken sat down in his place. She took a moment to flip through some papers on her clipboard, and then smiled sadly up at Lilly. "Okay, Lilly, sweety, I'm going to ask you a few questions, and they may be hard to answer, but it's important that you take your time and answer them honestly. If you need time in between the questions, please feel that you can ask for a break. Do you understand?" Lilly nodded, and Mrs. Oaken glanced over at Miley. "Do you want Miley present for this?"

Lilly looked over at Miley uneasily. "I want to be here for this," Miley stated, plain and simple.

Lilly relaxed and released a small sigh, thankful for her friend's strength.

Mrs. Oaken turned to Miley. "Miley, likewise, if you need to leave the room please feel free to do so, and please try not to interrupt the questioning,"

"I wont interrupt," Miley agreed.

With a heavy sigh, Mrs. Oaken turned her attention towards Lilly, and started. "Did you know the assailant?"

Lilly swallowed, and took a deep breath. "Yes,"

"What was your relation to him?"

"He was my father,"

"Where you injured during the incident?"

"I was cut on the abdomen, twice,"

Mrs. Oaken paused to write something. "Did these injuries take place on separate encounters?"

"Yes, but on the same night,"

"How long apart were they?"

Lilly paused to think, "About… four hours,"

"Were you treated for them?"

"No," The doctor wrote something on his own clipboard.

Mrs. Oaken scribbled some things down things and looked back up at Lilly. "Alright, next we're going to get the key facts. Once again, take your time and answer truthfully,"

Lilly nodded weakly.

Mrs. Oaken sighed again, and then cleared her throat, "Did he insert your penis into your vagina?"

Lilly could see Miley flinch in her chair out of the corner of her eye. "…Yes…" Mrs. Oaken gave a glance towards Miley's obvious uneasiness.

"Did he insert his penis anywhere else into your body?"

Lilly lowered her head and took a long time to answer. She could feel Miley waiting on the edge of her seat. "…Y…Yes,…" Her voice trembled.

Mrs. Oaken continued to write. "We'll discuss that later…" She muttered under her breath. She cleared her throat again. "Did he ejaculate?"

Tears started to form in Lilly's eyes and she started to babble. "I-I don't know… I think so,"

"Where any objects, including fingers, placed into any orifices?"

Lilly responded in a weak defeated voice. "Yes,"

Suddenly Miley stood up from her chair. Her face was pale and her body trembled. The room's attention turned to her, despite Mrs. Oaken's attempts to ignore it. "E-excuse me… I'll be back… can you… can you stop until I come back?"

Mrs. Oaken looked at Lilly for a response. Lilly did not lift her head, but nodded weakly. "Alright dear,"

Lilly heard Miley's staggering footsteps exit the room, and the door shut behind her. She looked up in time to see Miley's quivering figure disappear behind the door. She shut her eyes tightly and her silent tears slid down her cheeks.

Mrs. Oaken looked at Lilly sadly, who now shook, trying to suppress her sobs. She placed her hand on Lilly's shoulder. "Shhh, sweety, it's alright, she just needs some time to absorb these things… I don't think she realized all of this. It hasn't been a reality for her until now… Just give her a few minutes,"

Lilly said nothing. She wasn't upset with Miley. She was disgusted with herself.

Mrs. Oaken gave the doctor and the other policeman a discouraged look, and then turned back to Lilly. "Why don't we start some of the tests, sweety? We'll be testing for internal and external injuries, STD's, and if you wish, at a later date, we can test for pregnancy. If there are any tests that you do not wish to take a part in, you have the right to decline,"

Lilly said nothing, but sat up, expressionless.

Mrs. Oaken frowned and stared at her. After a silence, she sighed. "Alright, doctor?"

Mrs. Oaken stood up and the doctor reclaimed his seat. "We'll start with a cotton swab,"

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Miley had gone straight towards the bathroom and locked herself into a stall. She leaned over the toilet seat and began to hyperventilate. Tears began pouring down her cheeks. "Lilly" She whimpered, "Oh Lilly, I never… I didn't… How could this have happened…?"

Over the past 24 hours, Miley had shed tears and felt pain with Lilly, but when she had been sitting in that room, listening to those questions, and Lilly's answers, it had for the first time, seemed real. She had understood what had happened to Lilly, but she had never attempt to imagine it. Hearing those questions asked so bluntly had painted a picture in Miley's head. A picture she wished would go away; a picture of horrible things being done to Lilly. Her Lilly. The only person she loved on this earth in a romantic way. It was more than Miley could take.

Miley took several minutes whimpering and sobbing, before slowly coming to a steady pace of breath. She sniffed, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt, and cleared her throat. She stood up and exited the bathroom.

Once she found her way back towards the doctor's office, she slowly opened the door. To her surprise, she found only Mrs. Oaken and the other officer waiting in the room. She looked around the room bewildered, and making sure her eyes were accurate.

"Wh…Where's Lilly?" Miley whispered. She then became much more frantic. "Where's Lilly?!"

Mrs. Oaken stood up, and rushed over to Miley to calm her down. "Hush, Miley, it's okay. She's in the back with the doctor, finishing up some tests. We've completed the cotton swab and blood test. Right now the doctor is checking for internal damage. After that--"

Miley didn't wait for Mrs. Oaken to finish. She walked straight to the back room and burst through the door. She found Lilly laying unresponsively on a table, and the doctor in the seat next to the table, pulling on a pair of latex gloves. They both looked up at her as she entered.

Miley rushed to Lilly's side and grabbed her by the hand. "I'm here!" She gasped breathlessly, "Lilly, I'm here!"

Lilly smiled at how worked up Miley had gotten herself. "Miley, hey… It's okay, calm down,"

"I'm so sorry, Lilly, I didn't mean to leave, I just—"

"Miley,"

Miley took a deep breath and plopped down in the chair next to Lilly's bed.

"Well," The doctor cut in, "Now that that's all settled, why don't we take a look at those external injuries before we get any farther,"

Lilly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Miley stroked Lilly's hand in hers.

The doctor gently lifted up Lilly's shirt, exposing her abdomen. She heard him exhale heavily. Miley tried not to look at the scabbed gashes. "Hmm," He frowned, "These certainly needed stitches… There's not much we can do now that they're scabbed over. I'm afraid they'll scar," He lowered her shirt back down.

Lilly simply nodded. "It's okay,"

"Then let's get the X-ray started,"

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"Lilly, you are in the immediate stages of RTS, or Rape Trauma Syndrome. There are signs of skeletal muscle tension and genitourinary disturbance. There are some internal damages, but none critical. There are bound to be some psychological trauma, so I can't stress how important therapy is in the recovery process. You have to work with it and face your fears. If you don't, the effect of RST can progress into intermediate or long-term effects.

Some signs to address now are: loss of sleep and appetite, vomiting, paralyzing anxiety, hysteria or crying fits, pronounced internal tremor, disorganized thought process, obsession to wash, dulled sensory, etc.,"

He turned towards Miley. "Will you be with her during this process?"

Miley nodded at him, still taking in everything he had said. She clutched Lilly's hand.

"It's very important you watch her appetite. RTS is know to lead to eating disorder's such as anorexia or bulimia,"

Miley wanted to laugh. The thought of Lilly having trouble eating in the past would have had her rolling on the ground with laughter. But now, she was scared that it could actually be an issue. "I'll be with her through everything, I'm here to help her,"

The doctor smiled at them, "Well, I'd say you're in good hands, Lilly," Lilly blushed and smiled sheepishly. "You have an appointment standing for a pregnancy test in two weeks, so, unless I hear otherwise, I'll see you then,"

It was the test Lilly and Miley were purposefully avoiding, and it could stay that way for a little while longer.

"Thank you very much, doctor…"

He smiled, "Good luck, you two,"

Miley and Lilly stepped outside into the parking lot. They saw Robby Ray's van, with Robby Ray, Jackson, and Heather all sitting in it. They had anxiously arrived half an hour early.

The two girls joined hands and walked to the car. Jackson hurriedly opened the door for them. "H-Hey girls! Everything go okay?"

Miley and Lilly got into the car and found everyone looking to them for reassurance.

"Uh… It was fine…" Lilly stammered.

No one reacted to her answer.

Miley sighed. "They asked some questions and they did some tests. We'll have the results in a few days. We may be going back in for a test in two weeks,"

Everyone in the car sighed, and Lilly shot Miley a thankful look.

Upon returning home, Lilly and Miley went straight to Miley room. Lilly was tired and just wanted to lie down. Robby Ray called up to them that dinner would be ready in a few hours, and Jackson offered to take on Miley's chores. Heather was in the kitchen helping Robby Ray prepare dinner. Oliver would send texts to Miley or Lilly on the hour. They were all waiting for Lilly to come out of her shell and let them be there for her.

Lilly collapsed onto Miley's bed and curled up into a ball. Miley walked over to Lilly and slowly lay down besides her, wrapping her arms around her. Lilly sighed. "I'm so exhausted Miley… I just… can't sleep,"

Miley frowned, and there was a long silence. "Lilly…?" Miley finally spoke.

"Yeah?"

"You know I really am here for you through all of this… and I love you no matter what… right?"

Lilly smile and relaxed into Miley's arms. "Yeah… I do… and I love you too, Miley… Thank you for everything… Thank you for loving me,"


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors or actresses in the television show.

Lilly had fallen asleep on Miley's bed. Miley sat beside her, gazing over her and lovingly stroking her hair. Lilly's sleep seemed distressed and restless with unpleasant dreams that Miley wish she could do something about. She wished she could be there with Lilly in her dreams, holding her hand. Instead, all she could do was sit and stroke Lilly's hair.

Miley leaned forwards and placed a lingering kiss on Lilly's forehead. When she pulled away, she laid down, resting her head upon Lilly's, and sighed. After she had closed her eyes for several moments, she heard her bedroom door open. Sitting up, she saw Robby Ray peer into the room.

"Miles, dinner's ready. Everyone's already at the table,"

Miley sighed, glancing at the sleeping Lilly at her side. "Alright, give us a few minutes and we'll be down,"

Robby Ray nodded and quietly shut the door behind him. Miley sighed again and after staring at Lilly for a few seconds, she gently shook her awake. "Lils, wake up, hun," Lilly grumbled, seemingly having trouble waking up. "Dinner's ready,"

Lilly's eyes fluttered open, and she looked around, bewildered. Her eyes rested on Miley, and without saying anything, she leaned into her friend's arms and wrapped her arms around her.

Miley smiled sadly and returned the embrace, holding Lilly close to her. "Bad dream?"

Lilly hesitated before answering. "It wasn't really bad… just an uncomfortable feeling,"

Miley frowned and pulled Lilly's closer, not knowing how else to comfort her. "I'm sorry… Dinner's ready downstairs… everyone's waiting… We don't have to stay long, but it would help to make an appearance, and get some food,"

"I'm…" Lilly pulled away and looked down uneasily, "I'm not really that hungery,"

Those were words Miley hated to hear from Lilly. Especially with what the doctor had told her. "Well, you should eat something, even if it's only a little. You haven't eaten in over a day,"

"I know…" Lilly sighed, "I-I'll try to eat something, I just haven't had an appetite. I feel nauseous all the time,"

Miley blinked back tears and rested her hand on Lilly's. "I'm sorry…"

Lilly shook her head and tried to smile brightly. "It's okay, Miles I'll eat something,"

"Okay…" Miley stood up with Lilly's hand in hers. "Just, take it slow and eat what you can,"

Lilly nodded and stood up too.

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As the girls descended the staircase, they found everyone sitting at the table; Robby Ray, Jackson, and Heather. They each smiled, almost seeming relieved, as the two girls sat down at the side of the table.

Miley noticed that Lilly still seemed uncomfortable around other people, but she knew Lilly was pushing herself for the sake of others.

"I made your favorites!" Robby Ray grinned proudly, "T-bone steak, mashed potatoes, and gravy!" Heather cleared her throat loudly and Robby Ray blushed. "I mean… We did. Heather and I,"

Lilly forced a weak smile. "Thank you, it all looks great,"

"Well, let's dig in! I'm starving!" Jackson stabbed his fork into the bowl of mashed potatoes.

"Dag nabbit, son, I taught you better manners than that!" Robby Ray glared across the table at Jackson.

The potatoes slipped off of his fork and plopped onto his plate. He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, my bad,"

Everyone began to serve themselves, trying to carry on a normal family dinner. Miley didn't like the fake atmosphere, and she knew Lilly didn't either, but she knew they were all doing it for Lilly's sake. Miley looked over at Lilly, and she noticed that she hadn't served herself anything.

"Here, Lil, I'll serve you," Miley took Lilly's plate and began to serve her small proportions. She didn't want Lilly's mom, and Robby Ray or Jackson to worry more about Lilly. After she had gotten a little bit of everything on Lilly's plate, she handed it back to her.

"Thanks," Lilly nodded and accepted the plate from Miley. She began to pick at some of the food.

Robby Ray and Heather were discussing different recipes for gravy. Robby Ray was obviously more skilled in the kitchen, but Heather always looked forward to a good friendly argument. Jackson, as always, was too busy shoveling down his food to notice anything going on around him.

Miley glanced over at Lilly again. She was staring down at her plate feebly, still yet to have eaten much. Miley sighed and put another helping onto her plate. She would have to eat twice as much to make it look like Lilly had eaten enough, and to relieve the mind of everyone else at the table when they looked to see that the right amount of food was eaten.

When dinner was over, Miley stiffly walked over to the sink and washed Lilly and her plate. "Thanks for dinner, daddy," She inhaled as she spoke, "We're going to go get ready for bed,"

Robby Ray smiled, "Sure thing, darling, you just holler if you girls need anything,"

"We will," Miley slowly started upstairs with Lilly close behind her. When the reached Miley's room, Miley carefully laid herself down on her bed with a long, heavy sigh. She rested her hands on her stomach and groaned. Lilly sat down next to her.

"Lilly," She grumbled, "You didn't eat very much,"

Lilly frowned and lay down next to Miley. "I'm sorry… I just… really felt sick with all that food in front of me…" She gently rested her hand on Miley's briefly distended stomach. She felt Miley's belly gurgle with digestion and she smiled softly to herself. "You didn't have to eat my share, silly,"

"I didn't want anyone getting anxious about you not eating much… and now I'm too full to even move!" Miley pouted, "I feel like a beached whale,"

Lilly lifted her head and gently kissed Miley's stomach, which gurgled in response. "Well, you don't look like one. Not at all. You're beautiful," She rested her head on Miley's belly, listening to the sounds of her tummy. Miley smiled at this.

The two girls stayed like this for a long while, and then Lilly spoke. "Miley… what if…" Miley could hear the tears in her voice, "What if I'm pregnant?"

Miley shut her eyes and swallowed. It was time to address the question they both had in the back of their minds. She paused before answering. "Well… Lilly… it's possible that you are…" She didn't know what to say. "How much have you thought about it?"

"A lot," Lilly responded after another hesitation. "I… I couldn't get rid of it… But… it's… it would be my father's baby… and I'm… I'm his daughter… and… that's… that's not…" She was too upset to finish. Miley felt warm tears fall from Lilly's face and tickle her stomach. Finally, Lilly choked out, "That's sick,"

Miley placed her hand on the side of Lilly's face and wiped away a stream of tears. "Lilly… shhh… it's not sick… It's not sick if it has a part of you… it's beautiful…"

Lilly clutched onto Miley's arms and began to sob. Miley pulled herself up into a sitting position and wrapped her arms around Lilly. "M-Miley, what would I do?"

"Well…" Miley rested her chin on Lilly's head, "What _**we**_ would do, is get through it. One step at a time. Together. Just like we're doing things now,"

Lilly sniffed and looked up at Miley. ""We"? You would…?"

"Of course," Miley smiled, "I can't believe you would ever think otherwise,"

Lilly buried her head into Miley's chest and continued to sob. "Miley… Miley, I'm so glad you're here… I would never make it without you,"

"Lilly, I'll always be here with you," Miley smiled, "Right by your side,"

Lilly managed to whimper out, "I love you," and Miley just smiled and returned Lilly's words.

After a while, Lilly calmed down and the two fell asleep. Again, they were awakened by a knock on the door. The door opened, and Heather stood in the doorway. She looked nervous, but still determined and stern.

"Miley, Lilly…" She walked over to the bed as the girls sat up, and sat down on the edge of the bed. "If it's alright with both of you, Lilly, could I talk with you?"

Lilly looked at Miley, but Miley couldn't give her the answer. It was up to Lilly. "A-Alright,"

Miley stood up out of bed, "I'll be right downstairs, okay Lilly?"

Lilly nodded, and Miley gave her hands one last reassuring squeeze and a smile before heading towards the door. She exited and closed the door behind her. A silence hung in the room, and tears stung Lilly's eyes. Her head was lowered, waiting for her mother to speak.

"L-Lilly, do you know how much I love you?" Lilly looked up in surprise. Her mother had been crying too. It was very rare for Lilly to see her mother cry and it made her uneasy, but she nodded.

"Y-yeah," Lilly sniffed, "I do, mom,"

Her mother reached for Lilly's hands with her and pulled them up to kiss them. "You're my precious little girl, and you always will be. I wouldn't change that for the world,"

"M-mom," Lilly stuttered, "He hurt you… He hurt you a lot… I can't stand that his blood is in my veins. It feels so heavy, and I can't ever get it out…"

Heather opened her mouth but was too choked up to speak. She just continued to shake her head and hold Lilly's hands in hers until she could talk again. "No. No Lilly, you're precious. Every single drop of blood that gives you life is precious. He doesn't matter, all that matter's is that you're alive, and you're the beautiful Lilly I know. The beautiful Lilly that Miley knows. The beautiful Lilly that you are,"

Lilly lowered her head as tears started to escape out of her eyes, "It's so hard…"

"No," Heather took Lilly into her arms, "You don't have to try, you already are that Lilly, and you always will be. And no matter what we love you and we're with you every step of the way,"

Lilly nodded, but said nothing. There was nothing else she could think of to say. She had heard her mother's words. After several more moments of her mother cradling her, her mother kissed her on the forehead and stood up. "I love you, Lilly"

"I… I love you too, Mom,"

"We'll get through this…" Her mother smiled at her, and after several moments of staring at her daughter's beautiful face, she patted Lilly's hands and turned to leave through the door. As she was about to exit, she turned around one last time. "And, Lilly… please try to eat something when you can handle it… I don't know how much more Miley can take stuffing herself sick," With a final faint smile, her mother disappeared into the hallway.

Lilly sat in Miley's bed in silence, a million thoughts going through her head. She looked up when Miley quietly entered the room. "Hey," Miley said with a soft grin. "I missed you,"

Lilly smiled back at her, "I missed you too,"

Miley walked over to the bed and sat down. "Are you okay?" She took Lilly's hand in hers.

Lilly shook her thoughts away and looked at Miley. "Yeah… I'm alright…"

There was a silence. Miley lay down, and Lilly followed, resting herself by Miley's side.

"Lilly… you know… I've been thinking… about the Hannah concert on Sunday… I think I should cancel,"

Lilly sat up and looked at Miley. "Are you crazy?"

"No…" Miley furrowed her brow, trying to get Lilly to lie back down. "I just… want to be here for you,"

Lilly crossed her arms, "Hannah's never canceled a show, and Lola's never missed one of Hannah's shows! We're still going!"

"Lilly… It might be too much, too soon,"

"You're not talking me out of it. No way," Lilly shook her head.

Miley sighed. On one hand, she was glad to see Lilly was still so passionate when it came to supporting her as Hannah; on the other hand, she was upset that if they went, it would completely overwhelm Lilly. However, Miley recognized that the crossed-arms of Lilly's stubborn pose meant there was no way she would be talked out of it. "Alright… but take it easy at the concert, and let me or Daddy know if you start having trouble,"

Lilly smiled and laid back down next to Miley, snuggling into her and draping her arm over Miley's torso. "I knew you'd see things my way,"

Miley sighed and shook her head, giving Lilly a quick kiss. "You are so stubborn,"


	10. Chapter 10

I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors or actresses in the television show.

Miley waited anxiously in the Hannah Closet for Lilly to finish changing into her Lola clothing. She had quickly finished dressing in her Hannah apparel so that Lilly wouldn't have to wait for her. She could hear Lilly shuffling through her clothes the dressing room; pulling her skirt up her legs, and her shirt over her head. She seemed to be moving very slowly.

"Hey, Lilly, is everything going alright in there?"

There was a pause, and Miley heard the sound of a zipper zipping up. "Y-yeah,"

The dressing door opened, and Lilly stepped out. She had on a purple Lola wig and black leggings with neon green stripes. Her short denim skirt hung loosely off of her hips, nearly falling off. It wasn't the only piece of clothing that hung loose from her body; her purple polka-dot arm warmers were baggy on her arms, and her black shirt with pink and blue stars and hearts seemed more like a nightshirt than a tight fitting t-shirt.

Miley sighed and looked Lilly up and down. "Now do you believe me when I say you need to eat more?" Miley had had to eat Lilly's share of Robby Ray's chocolate chip pancake breakfast, and she was certainly feeling it stretch her stomach.

"I know…" Lilly looked down at the ground. "I… I try… I just… can't keep it down…"

Miley knew it was true. She had sat Lilly down around lunchtime and made sure she had eaten a fair amount of hotdog. Not long after, she was heaving over the toilet bowl with Miley holding her hair away from her face and gently stroking her back.

"I'm worried, Lilly… I'm worried that you can't eat…" She walked over to Lilly and wrapped her arms around her. Lilly sighed and leaned into Miley's embrace.

"I know… we'll just take it slow…" They parted and Lilly smiled faintly, "One bite at a time,"

Miley grinned and placed her hands on her stomach, "Good, 'cause as much as I like a good meal, I don't know how Hannah's fans would react to an overweight pop idol,"

Lilly stepped closer and gently traced her fingers over Miley's belly and around to her waist. "You're beautiful. You're perfect,"

Miley pulled Lilly closer, "Well, all that matters is that you think so," Their lips met each other in a warm lingering kiss. When they pulled away, they were smiling. Lilly sighed and rested her head on Miley's shoulder. Miley held Lilly close and they remained in the position for a long time.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Miley finally said, breaking the silence, "It's the first time you've been out, and Stewart house to Hannah concert is not the most gradual transition,"

They parted and took a step back, yet still remaining close. "I'll be fine Miley," Lilly smiled a smile that wasn't exactly convincing, "I told you, Hannah's not canceling, and Lola's not missing a show,"

"You're so stubborn," Miley sighed and leaned in to quickly kiss Lilly on the cheek. "But I wouldn't have you any other way,"

"Damn straight!" Lilly exclaimed playfully. Miley smiled at this. Little by little Lilly was starting to have her playful moments again. Her "Lilly-moments".

"Oliver will be around too, as Mike. Daddy needs his help working the lighting during the show, but once that's done, he can stay backstage with you,"

"Yeah…" Lilly wasn't sure how she felt about seeing Oliver. She knew his mother had told him what had happened, and she had been texting him during the day to reassure him that she was okay, but face to face, she wasn't sure how he, or she for that matter, would react.

"Girls! Y'all ready?" Robby Ray hollered up the stairs.

Miley turned towards the hall and shouted back. "Yeah Daddy! We're coming!" She turned back to Lilly, who for a brief moment looked nervous, but quickly covered it up. "…You ready?"

Lilly nodded. "I'm ready,"

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When they arrived at the concert auditorium, it was practically empty. The doors wouldn't open for another two hours so there wasn't anyone around besides a few tech guys running around checking lights and sound. Still, Lilly felt anxious and uneasy.

On the ride over, Jackson had noticed her discomfort from watching her in the rearview mirror as she stared out the window with a nervous expression. Miley had noticed it too and slipped her hand into Lilly's to comfort her.

Now that they were out of the car, Lilly tried her best to look like she was confident and had everything under control. She wasn't doing a very good job. Oliver (who was dressed in his Mike Stanley III apparel) had seen her from across the room and eagerly walked over to her.

"Hey! Lilly!" He approached her from behind placed his hand on his shoulder.

Lilly cringed and let out a shriek. Miley, (who had been going over the song list with the band) heard Lilly's cry and sprinted to her.

"L-Lilly," She asked breathlessly, "What's wrong?"

Lilly lowered her head in embarrassment away from the bewildered Oliver, "N-nothing, I didn't mean to scream, I just got startled," She turned to Oliver, "S-sorry Oliver, you surprised me. I'm just a little… jumpy,"

Oliver stared at her, and then closed his gaping jaw and smiled. "No problem, I shouldn't have sneaked up on you like that,"

Miley stared at Lilly, who was still trembling from shock. This is exactly what she had been afraid of. She grabbed Lilly's arm and pulled her into a hug. "Lil, I'll be right on stage the whole time, okay? You _**come get me**_ if you need me, okay?"

Lilly sighed and melted into Miley's arms. "Okay,"

"Promise?" Miley wasn't letting go until she was sure.

Lilly nodded. "I promise,"

"Good," Miley sighed, and they both pulled away.

"Ms. Montana! We gotta pick the order for the last few songs!" A handsome blonde with a guitar in his hands waved his hand at Miley.

"Remember, come get me if you need me," Miley turned to walk back with the band.

Lilly felt a faint jealousy rush through her body when the blonde guitarist smiled as Miley walked over to him and apologized for her sudden disappearance.

"Lilly?" Lilly turned back to face Oliver, having briefly forgot he had been there. "Are you… Are you gonna be alright?"

She tried her best to smile seem cheerful, "Yeah, I'll be fine,"

Oliver didn't say anything for a moment. He looked anxious. "Hey… Lil…? Is it okay… if I give you a hug?"

Lilly stared at him, at first, wondering why he was asking her, but then she quickly became aware of how nervous his request made her. "Y-yeah. Of course, you doughnut,"

He didn't move right away. He studied Lilly's body language, and slowly stepped towards her. He brought his arms around her and squeezed her tightly, but not tight enough to be uncomfortable. She could feel his care and concern for her, but she couldn't help but feel a sudden wave of nausea. It was the smell. Oliver didn't smell back, but it was the male scent engulfing and surrounding her. The musky strong smell she knew every male had.

Still, she knew Oliver would never hurt her, and that he cared about her and would always be there for her. She found the courage to return his hug. He sighed and spoke softly. "Same as Miley… I'll be around if you need me too… even though I know I can't ever be there for you like Miley can. You can always count on me,"

Lilly nodded. "I-I know… Thanks, Oliver…"

He pulled away and watched her. "Anytime,"

"Oliv….err…um… Mike! Could I get your help over here?" Robby Ray called from backstage.

"On my way!" Oliver called back, then he turned to Lilly before taking off, "I'll see you after I'm done helping out,"

He jogged over to where Robby Ray was, and Lilly was left standing alone.

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Within the next hour, things were a blur for Miley, just like every other concert. She started out with making sure she saw Lilly out of the corner of her eye every so often, but after they had started letting fans into the auditorium, things got hectic fast. Miley was rushed backstage into wardrobe. As she was on her way to get there, she passed Oliver.

"Mike! Are you all done setting up the lights?" She spoke fast and nearly knocked him over as she passed.

"Y-yeah," Oliver stuttered as he caught his balance, "All set,"

Miley was hurried onwards by her makeup artists but she hollered over her shoulder. "Will you find Lola?"

"Yeah! I think she's in the green room! She went there a bit ago to sit down!"

"Thanks!" Miley disappeared behind the curtain.

Oliver sighed and turned towards the green room. The lights were dimming, the auditorium was packed full and even Oliver felt uneasy in the crowd. This made him wonder and worry how Lilly was doing, and he quickly headed to the green room.

Before he had gotten there, the auditorium went dark and the stage lights began to flash. A loud guitar strum echoed throughout the concert hall and the drummer began his flashy solo entrance. The crowd began to cheer and Oliver could barely even hear himself think, which wasn't anything that hadn't happened before, but he was in a clear determined state of mind, and not spacing out.

"Hey! How's everybody doing tonight?" Miley's voice echoed off the walls. The crowds cheered louder, and the lights flashed faster, and suddenly, Oliver felt panic set in.

"Dammit!" He muttered to himself, pushing his way through a crowd of photographers and tech crew that stood between him and the green room. "Lilly!"

After a long eternity of prying his way through the crowd, he had finally got to the green room door. He burst through the door Just as Miley was finishing her last song of the first act. "Lilly!"

The green room was empty. Oliver stood in the doorway panting and desperately glancing around the room. "Lilly?" he tried again. After another silence, he turned and hurried out the door. "Shit!"

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As soon as the crowd started to pour in, Lilly began to get scared. She wasn't sure why, but she knew she wasn't comfortable without Miley near her. More and more people started coming into the auditorium, and Lilly got swept up into the sea of people. She immediately froze in fear, being pushed and shoved and thrown all over the place. She couldn't make out any of the faces that surrounded her; all she could see were blurs of eyes, noses, and mouth, all of which seemed to be malicious and threatening; Grabbing and clawing at her, trying to sweep her away. She was crying out Miley's name in her head, over and over again, but the obsessive screaming of the fans was almost enough to paralyze her.

If she could have screamed, she would have, but she was in a state of shock. Lilly started looking for a way out; any way out, and suddenly she saw an opening to a hallway through the bodies in the crowd. She threw herself towards that direction and after a desperate struggle she came out through and fell hard on her hands and knees at the entrance of the hallway.

She looked around, disoriented, and pulled herself up to her feet. She stumbled towards the nearest door and went inside. Once she was inside she fell back to her knees and began choking and sputtering until her sobs were able to come out. She looked around and realized she was in the green room. She needed to hide; to hide from everything around her. She slowly stood up and staggered over to the dressing room closet.

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As soon as Miley stepped off the stage for intermission, before she could even grab a bottle of water, she saw Oliver rushing towards her looking panicked, and her heart sank.

"I can't find her!" he cried desperately, trying to get past the security, "She's gone!"

Miley dropped everything and ran past security guards, who were trying to restrain Oliver. She ran right through the crowds and into the green room. "Lilly!" She cried out desperately. "Lilly! Where are you?! Answer me!"

She stood in silence and listened intently. At first there was nothing, but hen she heard a soft whimpering coming from the closet. She ran towards it and threw open the door. She looked around and saw nothing, so she took a few steps forward. "Lilly?"

She saw a figure curled up in the corner, and as she drew nearer, she could tell it was Lilly. "Lilly! Honey, it's okay, I'm here," Miley flew to her side and took Lilly into her arms.

Lilly remained curled up in a ball, sobbing uncontrollably. Her face was wet with tears. Miley pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed Oliver's number while still cradling Lilly. "Oliver! Get Jackson to pull the car up front. We're getting out of here, right _**now!**_ I don't care what the fans think!" She shut the phone and pressed her forehead against Lilly's. "Lilly, honey, we're gonna get out of here. We're gonna go home, okay?" Lilly continued to sob and cling to Miley. "Shhhh, it's gonna be okay,"

Suddenly, an out of breath Robby Ray burst through the door, and looked down at Lilly and Miley. "Daddy," Miley looked up at him helplessly, "She won't stop crying,"

Robby Ray bent down and scooped Lilly up. Together, they ran through the crowd. (Miley had pulled her wig off before leaving) Upon exiting the building, they found Jackson and Oliver in the car, waiting for them. Robby Ray placed Lilly in the back seat and Miley climbed in after her. He then shut the door behind her.

"Daddy, what are you—"

Robby Ray leaned over to speak through the window. "I'll take care of everything here, just get her home and calmed down,"

Miley nodded, not caring to hide her approaching tears. "Thank you, Daddy…"

"I love you, Miles. See you at home," He waved as Jackson tore out of the parking lot.

Miley placed Lilly's head in her lap and stroked her hair. "Hush, Lil, it's alright,"

"M-Miley," Lilly managed to choke out, "I-I'm sorry. You're sh-show,"

"Hush," Miley continued to stroke her hair. "You're more important to me than any show. You come first,"

Lilly continued to sob on the way home.


	11. Chapter 11

**I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors and actresses in the television show. **

When Lilly woke up, she was laying in Miley's bed. The room was dark with the exception of the moonlight shining through the shutters. Shivering, she looked around to find she was by herself. Miley was nowhere to be seen.

Lilly curled up into a ball beneath the covers and didn't move for a while. She eventually heard the sound of the door open, and she cringed, fearful of who was coming in.

"Lilly?" Miley's soft sweet voice brought all the comfort in the world to Lilly. She heard Miley's footsteps drawing nearer and slowly lifted the covers off of herself, embarrassed. Miley smiled and climbed into bed. She crawled over to where Lilly sat and took her into her arms. "How are you feeling, hon?"

Lilly swallowed. Her mouth was dry and she was thirsty. Her head ached from crying so much. "I-I'm okay. What time is it?"

"It's almost 10:00. You fell asleep in the car," Miley pulled away and fixed Lilly's hair. "Everyone's pretty worried,"

Lilly felt guilty for worrying everyone. "I'll come downstairs for a while so they can see that I'm okay," Lilly began to sit up and get out of bed, but she stood up too quickly and suddenly became very dizzy. She wobbled and then plopped back down onto the bed.

Miley reached for her arm and stroked it. "Are you _**sure **_you're okay?"

Lilly took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a few seconds. When she opened them, finding that she could actually see, she nodded at Miley. "Yeah. For a little while, anyways,"

"Maybe we can even get you to eat a little," Miley smiled optimistically and helped Lilly to stand. "Wouldn't that be awesome?"

Lilly laughed at how cute Miley was. "Yeah, I'll eat something,"

Miley's smiled grew and she took Lilly's arm in her hands. "Alright, let's go then!"

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Everyone's head turned when Lilly and Miley entered the kitchen; Robby Ray, Jackson, Heather and Oliver.

"Lilly!" Robby exclaimed as he put down the guitar he had been playing. "Glad you're up! We were about to give up waiting and eat without you! You're Mama cooked it all by herself tonight! She was a little worried about you, so I figured lettin' her cook would take some of that worry off her mind,"

Heather put down the magazine she was reading and stood up from the couch. "Robby Ray Stewart! You make it sound like I'm some kind of anxiety-ridden nutjob! And stop trying to give me all of the credit! You did half the work!"

Robby Ray threw up his hands in defeat, "Is it wrong to give someone a compliment?"

"It's wrong to lie about half of it," Heather frowned and put his hands on her hips.

Both Miley and Lilly exchanged glances and smiled. They adored watching the way their parents interacted.

"Will you two quit arguing and get out the food!" Jackson begged, nearly sprawling his entire body across the table.

"I didn't hear a please," Robby Ray teased.

Jackson pressed his hands together, "Pleeease!"

"Now that's more like it!" Robby Ray walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a large Tupperware container. "Fresh enchiladas comin' up!"

Miley saw Lilly cringe. She subtly leaned to whisper to her. "You think you can stomach it?"

"I think I'll be able to take a few bites," Lilly nodded.

Robby Ray began serving up everyone's place at the table. Oliver spoke up for the first time since he girls entrance. "Um, thanks Mr. Stewart, but I gotta head home, my mom wanted me straight home after Lilly woke up,"

"Well alright, Oliver," Robby Ray frowned, "Thanks for all your help today, couldn't have done it without you,"

"No problem. Anytime," Oliver walked over to the girls, keeping his gaze at the ground. "I, uh… Sorry for letting you down,"

Miley shook her head and smiled, "You didn't, you doughnut. Without you, I never would have known Lilly was in trouble. It takes a desperate man to get that far past Hannah's security,"

Lilly fidgeted for a few second and then stepped forwards to give Oliver a short hug. "Y-yeah, Oliver… Thanks… I mean it,"

Oliver smiled and softly responded. "Anytime… I'll text you both later," Oliver waved to the others and walked out the door.

"Alright girls! Table's set! Enchiladas are served!" Robby Ray sang from the kitchen. Lilly sighed, and Miley took her hand as they walked to the table and sat down. "Dig in!"

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"Ugh," Miley slowly lowered herself onto the couch after dinner was finished, and everyone had gone upstairs. Lilly sat down beside her. "Well… Lilly… I'm proud of you… You ate a whole half of an enchilada,"

Lilly leaned her head against Miley's shoulder. "You could have left it there. I could have said I wasn't that hungry,"

"Well… It wouldn't have been a problem if my Daddy hadn't realized how fast I finished my first one, and then slopped on another one," Miley took Lilly's arms in hers and sighed. "Yeah but your mother made the meal… I didn't want her to be disappointed.." Her stomach gurgled uneasily.

Lilly rolled her eyes, and figured her mother and Miley's father had been in on it together, trying to encourage Lilly to eat. She snuggled closer to Miley, feeling bad that Miley had to suffer for her sake. She decided then and there she would try harder to eat more.

Miley rested her head on top of Lilly's and reached for the remote to turn on the television.

The 11 o'clock news had just started. The newswoman at the desk cleared her throat and stared straight into the teleprompter that was out of the camera's angle. "In other news; Hannah Montana was reportedly AWOL from the second act of her Los Angeles concert earlier tonight. Thousands of fans were refunded their money at the door but they, and many others were still asking the question: "Where's Hannah?" When asked, her spokesperson responded with--"

Miley clicked the television off after she noticed Lilly looking away shamefully. "We don't need to see that," she brushed off the incident.

"I'm sorry Miley…" Lilly sighed,

Miley leaned over and kissed Lilly's cheek. "I already told you. You're more important than any concert, anywhere. Even if President of the United States was attending!"

Lilly hesitated in thought as Miley placed another kiss on the side of her head. "Really…?"

Miley smiled and nuzzled her face into Lilly's neck. "Really,"

There was another pause, and Lilly turned her head and sat up slightly. Miley lifted her head and they gazed into each other's eyes. Lilly then leaned forwards and kissed Miley softly on the lips.

Miley exhaled and melted into Lilly's touch. She sat up as well and readjusted herself, wrapping her arms around Lilly. She could taste Lilly's breath flow through her and chills of pleasure ran down her spine. She sat up even more and made the kiss deeper, and to her delight, she felt Lilly gently wrap her own arms around her waist.

Miley moved herself closer her Lilly and placed herself on top of Lilly, who leaned back and pulled Miley closer. They both pulled away breathlessly but kept their faces close. "Lilly…" Miley whispered, "I don't want to move too fast… let me know if it's too much,"

Lilly took a moment to gather her thoughts, which was slightly more difficult than usual with Miley's body so on top of hers. She was scared, yes, but she was with Miley. All around her was Miley's sweet, delicate scent, and Miley's soft skin. Her beautiful brown hair tickled Lilly's arms, and she couldn't look away from Miley's deep blue eyes. She knew she would be safe. She knew she could at least handle this much, and she wanted to.

Lilly moved her face up to close the gap between them, and their lips met again. Miley exhaled again and collapsed into Lilly's arms. She caressed her waist and slowly slipped her fingers underneath Lilly's shirt. Her hands brushed against something that felt rough and she felt Lilly flinch. Miley realized it was one of the cuts that was scabbed over and she cautiously moved her hands away from Lilly's abdomen and around to her back. She started running her fingers up and down Lilly's bare back, to which Lilly moaned in pleasure. Their lips parted again and Lilly placed her lips on Miley's neck and sucked on it gently. Miley arched her back and her head involuntarily flew backwards as Lilly continued her kissed up to Miley's jaw bone and moved her hands up to Miley's waist and cautiously up her shirt, resting them on her waist. Miley leaned back down and continued kissing Lilly passionately.

Suddenly, Lilly felt and heard Miley's stomach gurgle; long, and violently. Miley drew back in a cringe and tensed up. "Urg…" Her stomach released another series of bubbling. "H-have I ever mentioned that spicy food doesn't agree with me?"

Lilly sat up and smiled softly. "Let's get you upstairs and let you lie down,"

Miley took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, silently cursing the enchiladas in her head. "Okay,"

Lilly took Miley's hands and slowly led her upstairs. Once she had gotten Miley into her bed, she cautiously laid down next to her. Miley sighed. "Sorry…"

Lilly smiled. "Don't worry about it. It's my turn to take care of you now." She leaned over and kissed Miley's cheek. "How are you feeling?"

"Full," Miley pouted and started massaging her belly gently. "And like my tummy's about to pop,"

Lilly reached over and rested her hand on Miley's stomach. "Jesus, your stomach is as tight as a watermelon," She frowned.

"Believe me, I know,'

It was Lilly's turn to sigh now. She gently started to rub Miley's stomach.

"That feels good," Miley sighed and closed her eyes, "It's not hurting as much.

Lilly smiled and continued rubbing Miley's stomach in small clockwise circles. After a few minutes, Miley's breathing became slow and deep, and Lilly knew she was asleep. Still, she continued to rub Miley's belly for a while longer.

Eventually, she sat up and kissed Miley's belly just below the navel, which gargled in response. She smiled at this and stared down at Miley, who was now sleeping peacefully.

Sighing, Lilly sat up. She had to use the bathroom, and decided it was best not to wake Miley. She quietly got out of bed and left the room, walking into the bathroom down the hall. As she entered, she turned on the light. The bathroom had long been cleaned by Jackson, which Lilly had thanked him for, but Miley had always taken Lilly to the downstairs bathroom to shower or wash up. She entered the room for the first time since her father had dragged her in there.

Her eyes scanned the room. Everything looked normal, but still and uneasy feeling passed over her. She noticed her legs trembling and her body began to ache. An overwhelming dizziness nearly swept her off of her feet and she staggered to reach for something to stable herself. She fell to her knees and gasped for air.

Grabbing a hold of the sink, she pulled herself up and vomited. She fumbled to turn the faucet on and fell back to the ground. The room was spinning, and in her head she could see her father; She could see herself. She saw her father touching her on the bathroom floor; cutting her, holding her down, raping her. Lilly pulled herself up to her feet again and found that she couldn't see, she couldn't hear, she couldn't feel anything around her. She didn't know what was going on or what she was doing.

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Miley woke up in the middle of the night. Glancing over at the clock, she found that it was a little past midnight. She rolled over, expecting to rest her arms over a slumbering Lilly, but to her surprise, she found the bed empty. "Lilly?" She sat up and looked around the room. It was empty as well. Miley looked out onto the balcony and discovered it was starting to rain again.

She had a bad feeling in her stomach, besides the fact that it wasn't agreeing with her. She walked out into the hall to check the bathroom. She heard the sink running and thought Lilly might be in there. The door was open so she walked in. "Lilly…?" The bathroom was empty, but the sink was on, and some of the towels were on the floor. Miley stared at the empty room, and suddenly she was stricken with fear. She turned and ran out of the bathroom. "Lilly!"


	12. Chapter 12

**I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors or actresses in the television show. **

Robby Ray was awoken by the sound of frantic footsteps running down the stairs. By instinct, he threw his covers off of himself and jumped out of bed. As he raced down the hall, Heather emerged from the guest room, also awoken by the noise. Soon afterwards, Jackson appeared as well.

Practically jumping down the staircase, Robby Ray saw Miley in the dark, running towards the door. "Miley!" He shouted, racing towards her and grabbing hold of her. She was desperately trying to get out of his arms and get to the door. "What in Sam heck are you doing?"

"Lilly!" Miley screamed, practically hysterical, "Lilly's gone! Have to find Lilly!"

She continued to struggle, so Robby Ray lifted her up off of her feet and sat her down on the couch. "Miley!" He held both of her arms tightly and stared sternly into her eyes. "Hold up, girl! Calm down!"

Jackson and Heather appear from the stairs and Miley suddenly stopped struggling and stared at her father with a bewildered look on her face.

"M-Miley, what's going on?" Heather walked over to them, "Where's Lilly?"

Miley turned and stared at her, and then back at her father. She broke down into sobbing hysterics and flung herself into her father's arms. "D-Daddy! G-got t-to find L-Lilly!"

Robby Ray held his daughter close and nodded. "We'll find her Miles, it'll be okay," He turned to Jackson. "Jackson, get the car ready,"

"I'm on it, Daddy-O," Jackson grabbed his car keys and rushed to the garage.

Miley suddenly shot up. "N-No! We'll never find her that way!" She slipped out of her father's arms and ran out the door.

"Miley!" She could hear father shout after her, but the only thing on her mind was finding Lilly.

Miley ran through the streets, not caring that the rain fell on her and soaked her skin and clothing. "Lilly!" She kept calling, over and over. "Lilly!" She was wracking her brain, trying to think of every possible place that Lilly would be, but none of them made any sense.

She stopped in the middle of the street and tried to catch her breath. "Lilly! Where are you!?" Falling to her knees, she began to cry and continued to do so for some time. She needed to protect Lilly. She needed to keep her safe. She needed to hold her and love her and hear her voice. She needed Lilly.

Suddenly, it all came to her. She knew where Lilly was. She didn't know how she knew, and she didn't know why Lilly would go there, but she knew.

Miley rose to her feet and resumed running down the street. She ran, as fast as she could, unable to feel the pain from the cold air enter her lungs. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she arrived.

She stood in front of the apartment complex that had had its name and address written on the piece of paper that Lilly had received that day at school. That day that seemed such a long time ago. Miley stood in a stupor, not sure what to do next, and then she screamed, "Lilly!"

She ran towards the entrance to the complex and continued on, passing each door, looking left and right for Lilly. She was coming up to the last few apartments, and ahead of her, she saw someone sitting against one of the doors, in the rain. Miley know it was her. "Lilly!"

Lilly slowly lifted her head as Miley ran over to her and threw her arms around her. She could feel her shivering, and her skin was cold. "Lilly!" Miley cried frantically, "What the hell are you doing here?!" She held Lilly close to her, trying to produce any kind of warmth for her.

She could hear Lilly mumbling, but couldn't make out what she was saying. She pulled away and leaned in closer to hear. "What? What is it, hon?"

Lilly was completely disoriented. Her face was expressionless and she wouldn't move or look at Miley. There were dried tear trails on her cheeks and her eyes here red and tired. Miley began to panic and she grabbed Lilly firmly and shook her. "Lilly!"

Lilly blinked and stared back at Miley in surprise. She then looked around at where she was and expression of horror crossed her face. "M-Miley," She curled into Miley's arms and continued to tremble, "W-what am I d-doing here? Th-this is wh-where…"

Miley waited for Lilly to finish, but she didn't. Instead she began to shake, and started having trouble breathing. Her breaths became fast and shallow and she grasped onto Miley.

"Lilly!" Miley sobbed as she tried to pull the hysterical blonde into her arms. Lilly was thrashing around too violently, trying to get air. "Lilly! Please! Breath!"

Lilly could no longer see. She was surrounded by darkness and she was terrified. She was terrified that her father would find her, and she wouldn't be able to see him coming. She couldn't run, she couldn't hide. He would find her.

She saw it all happening again. She saw it in her mind just like it was happening for he first time. She lurched back and screamed, her body burning with pain. Miley scrambled forwards to hold Lilly down, and realized that she herself was shaking too much to hold onto her. Tears poured down her cheeks, as all she could do was watch Lilly scream in pain on the cold concrete. "L…Lilly,"

"Miley!" A distant voice echoed. She recognized it as her father's and a sense of relief washed over her. She put her arms over Lilly and curled her up into her arms best she could. "Miley!" She could see her father now. He was running towards her, followed by Jackson.

As they approached the two girls, they stopped, not knowing what to do. Miley held onto Lilly who continued to shake and whimper and Miley looked up at her father with tears in her eyes. "D-Daddy… we've got to help her… p-please… she won't stop,"

Robby Ray looked down at her and seconds later, he leaned down and helped pick Miley up, who was reluctant to let Lilly go. He placed her in Jackson's hands, who held her stay in the upright position. Then Miley watched as her father bent down and scooped Lilly up. Lilly had stopped moving when Miley had let go of her, and her face looked pale and cold. Miley could have sworn her lips were blue. "We gotta get her to the hospital, quick," Robby Ray started for the car, and Jackson helped the bewildered Miley follow after him.

They reached the car, and Robby Ray placed Lilly in the backseat, then ran around to the truck and opened it. Jackson helped Miley into the backseat with Lilly, and she immediately pulled Lilly into her arms. After he made sure they were secure, he ran around to the front seat and got into the car. Robby Ray threw Miley an old blue blanket he had gotten from the trunk. "Wrap that around yourself until we get there!" He called through the sound of the rain hitting the outside of the car. He shut the door and then jumped into the front passenger seat.

Miley wrapped the blanket around herself and the motionless Lilly in her arms. Robby Ray pulled out his cell phone and frantically stared dialing numbers, and Jackson turned the key and started the engine.

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Robby Ray burst through the hospital door holding Lilly in his arms. Miley and Jackson followed close behind. "Hey!" He hollered, "We need some help over here!"

Miley watched as several nurses rushed over with a stretched, and her father gently placed Lilly on it. They hurriedly as him several question about what had happened, and Miley watched as they wheeled her away down the hall, and through the double doors. She wanted to follow after her but Jackson had a firm grim on her arm. She sat down in one of the chairs in the waiting room and started to cry.

One of the nurses walked over to Robby Ray. "Sir, we you to go to the front desk and fill out some paper work? Are you her legal guardian?"

"I am!" Heather burst through the door breathlessly, "Heather Truscott. That's my daughter Lilly," She quickly walked over to the front desk ask took the clipboard from the nurse. "Robby, here," She handed him a bag she had been holding. "They're dry clothes for Miley. Go make sure she's okay,"

Robby Ray took the bag from her, amazed by her composure in the situation. He nodded and walked over to where Miley and Jackson were sitting. Miley looked up at him hopefully as he approached. "Here, Miles," He handed her the bag, "Heather brought you some dry clothes,"

Miley took the bag but still stared up at him, "Daddy? Is she… is she going to be okay?"

"She's in the best of hands, Miles," he sighed and sat down, "We'll find out how she's doing soon. Now please, go change before you catch a cold,"

"Daddy…" She hesitated, "How did you know where we were?"

Robby Ray smiled and leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Jackson found an old crumpled up piece of paper in the laundry. It was pretty faded after going through the wash, but we could at least make out the name of the place,"

Miley sighed and didn't speak for a few moments. Then, she stood up and lifted the bag up. "I'm going to go change now,"

Jackson and Robby Ray watched as she walked away towards the bathroom. "You think she's going to be okay, Pa?"

Robby Ray shook his head. "All I can say, son, is that I hope Lilly pulls through. I don't know how Miley would take it if something happened to her,"

Jackson sighed and then sat back in thought.

They both stood up as Heather walked over to them. "Heather," Robby Ray took a step towards her, "Is she going to be okay?"

Heather sighed deeply, and Robby Ray helped her take a seat. "Robby Ray… I think we need to have a talk…"

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Miley had taken her time in the bathroom. In other words she had taken the private time to herself to cry. She hated crying in public places. She hated crying in front of her father and brother. She just wanted to see Lilly. She wanted to hold her and kiss her cheek. She wanted to see Lilly's piercing blue eyes full of life, and hear her sweet carefree laugh. She wanted to be with Lilly.

After about 20 minutes she pulled herself together, and after changing into her dry clothes, she walked out of the bathroom. She headed towards the waiting room and saw that Robby Ray and Heather were standing to the side of the room talking to a doctor. She rushed over to where they were standing. "Is she okay?" Miley grasped onto her father's arms and looked up at the doctor. The doctor gave her a confused look and Robby Ray pulled her back. "Miley, she just woke up. They say she's pretty weak,"

The doctor nodded. "In times of emotional stress, it often lowers the body's physical immunity. It's very possible that she could have contracted influenza that may lead to pneumonia. She's also moderately malnutritioned,"

"Can I see her?" Miley simply asked.

The doctor glanced at Robby Ray and Heather, who nodded. He sighed and adjusted his glasses. "Right this way,"

Miley was led into the room was Lilly was. As soon as she saw Lilly she flew to the side of the bed. "Lilly!"

Lilly's eyes fluttered open and she saw Miley. She struggled to sit up but Miley took her hand and shook her head. "Shh, it's okay, just relax. I'm here," Lilly sighed and rested her head back down. She squeezed Miley's hand as best she could. Tears started to form in Miley's eyes and she smiled at Lilly, relieved. "I'm so glad you're okay,"

She stayed and gently stroked Lilly's hand for several minutes listening to the sound of Lilly's soft breathing. Then, Robby Ray and Heather quietly entered the room. Both Miley and Lilly looked up at them as they entered. They both looked nervous but stern. "W-what wrong?" Miley asked anxiously, "D-Daddy?"

Robby Ray sighed and took the seat next to his daughter. Heather walked over and stood on the other side of Lilly and took her daughter's other hand. "Miley… Lilly needs help, bud,"

Miley stared at him, confused, "What are you talking about?! Of course she does! She needs us!"

"Miles…" He seemed to be struggling with what he was trying to say, "Lilly needs _**real**_ help… She's not getting any better staying with us,"

Miley and Lilly stared at him in disbelief, "W-What?"

"Miley… you two are trying to take this whole thing on by yourselves, and it's too much stress for the both of you,"

"N-No!" Miley shouted, standing up out of her chair. Tears were glistening in her eyes. "You can't take her away! She needs me! I need her!"

Lilly had begun trembling in her bed and had lowered her head.

"Miles…" Robby Ray tried to calm her down,

"No… No! I'm staying by Lilly's side, through everything! If you send her off somewhere, you'll have to send me with her!"

A stone cold silence fell over the room. Robby Ray glanced over at Heather with a sigh. Heather took a step forward. "Miley,"

"No!" She grasped onto Lilly's hand, and Lilly tried to hold back her tears as she squeezed Miley's hand.

Robby Ray stood up and pulled Miley to the side. "Miley… You're gonna burn yourself out, girl. Lilly's dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. There's nothing you can do to take that away. She needs extensive therapy,"

"I can stay with her! I can be with her!" Miley cried, trying to escape her father's grasp.

"Miles, we'll talk about this more at home… let's let Lilly get some rest, and we'll come back tomorrow,"

"No!" Miley sobbed as her father pulled her out of the room. She tried to escape but he was too strong. "Lilly!"

As the door closed behind him, Miley could see Lilly trembling and silently crying, too weak to move.

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Heather leaned down over Lilly and stroked her hair off of her forehead and Lilly continued to choke back her tears. "Sweetheart, it's for the best. Miley's exhausting herself trying to take all of this on, and you have to get some real help from some doctors,"

Lilly couldn't move, she couldn't speak, she continued to shake and tremble. Suddenly her breathing became labored and the heart monitor beside her bed began to speed up and beep at an alarming rate. Lilly started gasping for air and tears started streaming down her cheeks. "M-Miley…!" She gasped.

"Lilly…?" He mother stood up, looking scared as Lilly's breathing became more and more difficult. "Sweetheart?"

Meanwhile Robby Ray was practically dragging Miley down the hallway towards the exit of the hospital. "Daddy! Let me go! I have to be with Lilly!"

"Miles," Her father grunted, pulling her another step forwards, "We're just trying to help,"

"Let me go!" She shrieked, planting her feet where she stood.

Jackson saw them approaching and ran over to them. "Jackson, give me a hand here, son,"

Jackson looked hesitant to do anything, but before he could decide what to do, Heather was running down the hall. "Robby! Robby Ray!" There were tears in her eyes.

Robby Ray let go of Miley and turned towards Heather who practically threw herself into his arms. "What is it?" He asked her, confused, "What's wrong?"

"I-it's Lilly!" She exclaimed, trying not to cry, "She started shaking, and breathing really hard and… The doctor's rushed in and…" Her tears finally escaped and she started to weep.

Without waiting for another word, Miley dashed away from them and towards Lilly's room. She burst through the door to find Lilly thrashing around screaming, surrounded by the doctor she had seen in the waiting room and a nurse. They stared up at her in shock as she entered. "Wh-What are you doing here? Please wait outside,"

Miley ignored them and rushed to Lilly's side. "Lilly!" She cried out, grasping onto her and trying to stop her from thrashing. "Lilly!"

Lilly stopped and stared up at Miley, bewildered. She flung herself into Miley's arms and began sobbing. "Shhh," Miley said weakly through her tears as a faint smile crossed her face. She wrapped Lilly up in her arms. "It's alright, hon, I'm not going anywhere. No matter what,"

Lilly sobs eventually subsided and the rate of the heart monitor slowed back down to a normal pace. The doctors stared in amazement.

The door was opened and Robby Ray walked in looking flustered "Miles, I—"

The doctors walked over to him and asked to speak with him to the side. He blinked and stared at the doctor, and then nodded. The nurse left the room and left the two men to talk.

Miley continued to cradle Lilly and she began to hum a soft melody in her ear. Several minutes passed and Miley was startled when her father placed her hand on her shoulder. "Miley, come on, bud, we're gonna take Lilly home with us,"

"Wh-What?"

He smiled kindly at her, "The doctor says it's dangerous to take you two away from each other. Lilly'd be in bad shape if you two got separated. Her emotional state would diminish her physical state. And you probably wouldn't handle it too great either,"

Miley held Lilly closer and sniffed. "Thank you, Daddy…"

He squeezed her shoulder lovingly, "Hey, we just want the best for you girls… We never meant to try and tear you apart…" Heather had entered the room, after speaking with the doctor. She still looked shaken up but she nodded in agreement.

Clearing her throat, she spoke. "Lilly does need therapy… and further psychological testing… There are still other physical tests to be done, and she'll have to stay in bed and recover for a few days… not to mention eat," She seemed to be regaining her composure.

Miley nodded, "It's okay… I'll be with her…" She turned back to Lilly and wrapped her arms more tightly around her. She whispered in her ear lovingly. "I'll be with her…"


	13. Chapter 13

**I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors and actresses in the television show.**

Robby Ray laid Lilly down in Miley's bed; they had gotten home around 2 o'clock in the morning. Miley immediately climbed into bed after her and snuggled close. Her father took a seat at the foot of the bed. "Miles, tomorrow we're gonna call and schedule an appointment with a therapist for Lilly. The doctor's clinic left a message to say her results are in too, so we'll go in whenever Lilly's feeling better,"

Milly nodded sleepily and yawned. "Okay, Daddy,"

He gazed down at his daughter and then leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I'm proud of, bud. I love you,"

"Love you too, Daddy,"

Lilly sat up slightly and looked over at Robby Ray, "Thank you… Mr. Stewart," Her voice was quiet and weak.

Robby Ray smiled and leaned over to kiss both girls on the forehead. "No problem Lilly. You know I love both you girls,"

Lilly nodded and relaxed back into Miley's arms. Robby Ray smiled and walked towards the door, "Goodnight, girls. Get some sleep," He closed the door behind him.

Miley sighed, and opened her eyes, resting them on Lilly. Lilly turned he head to look at Miley. "Lilly…" She furrowed her brow. "Will you tell me what happened?"

Lilly bit down on her lower lip. "Y-yeah," She tried to sit up, but struggled to do so. Miley took her arm and helped her. Once they were both sitting up, Lilly sighed and looked down at the comforter. She took the material in her hands and fiddled with it nervously. "I… I had to go to the bathroom before I went to bed, and you had already fallen asleep," She paused and swallowed timidly, "I didn't think I would have a problem using the one upstairs… so I went to that one… and….and…"

Miley saw tears fall from Lilly's eyes and land on the comforter and could tell that she was having trouble continuing. Miley reached over and put her hand on Lilly's. Lilly looked up at Miley and began to cry harder. "I-I don't know what happened, Miles. I was standing there, just looking around the room… and then I was back… I was back underneath my father. I could see him, I could feel him, I could smell him… I don't remember what happened next, I just… I just remember you crying my name and I was suddenly in front of his apartment… where it happened the first time… and you where there… and I was just… I was so confused," Lilly lowered her head and continued to cry.

Miley sighed and took Lilly into her arms, laying them both down. "Shhh, it's okay, Lilly… He's gone, he's not coming back,"

Lilly inhaled deeply and sighed uneasily, trying to stop herself from crying. She wrapped her arms around Miley and cuddled closer. "I'm so happy we're going to be able to stay together," Lilly sniffled.

"I am too, Lils," Miley smiled and kissed Lilly's cheek. "I would have been lost without you,"

Lilly closed her eyes and started to drift to sleep, "Me too,"

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The girls woke up to Robby Ray walking in with a tray of breakfast. "Morning girls," He said sang as he entered. "I got you some breakfast ready for you two. Lilly, I know you've been having trouble eatin' so I made some rice porridge. It's easy on the tummy," He placed the tray down beside Lilly on the dresser and turned to Miley. "Miles, I got some French toast cookin' downstairs for you, I'll bring it up,"

"Um…" Miley spoke up, placing her hand on her still uneasy stomach, "My stomach's a little upset this morning… could I just have rice porridge too?"

Robby Ray smiled, "Sure thing, bud. More for Jackson and me. Be back in a jiff,"

Miley sighed and sat back. She looked over at Lilly who hadn't touched her food. "Aren't you going to eat?"

Lilly nodded, "Well, yeah, but I'm not gonna eat in front of you when you don't have your food yet,"

Miley rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Lilly, you've got to be kidding me. You've barely eaten anything in days, and you're waiting for me to get food? The girl who's been stuffing herself stiff?"

"Say what you will," Lilly snuggled herself at Miley's side, playfully, "I'm waiting,"

"Don't try and get cute with me!" Miley frowned, but she couldn't resist Lilly's playful side. Sighing, she smiled and leaned in to kiss Lilly's lips softly. Lilly smirked in return, gloating in her victory.

Robby Ray entered through the door again, holding another bowl of rice porridge for Miley. "Here you are, bud," He said, handing it to her. "Careful, it's hot,"

"Thanks, Daddy,"

As Robby Ray left the room, Miley glanced over at Lilly. "Alright, now you don't have any excuses,"

Lilly laughed softly; the sound that Miley loved to hear. It didn't last long however, and was followed by a series of raspy coughs that shook her frail body. Miley frowned and waited for Lilly to finish coughing. Once she had stopped, Miley leaned over and tenderly kissed Lilly on the cheek. "Eat up, hon,"

Miley consumed her entire bowl to try and encourage Lilly as best she could to eat. Lilly was able to finish a little more than half of her bowl. "You almost finished all of your breakfast!" Miley smiled proudly, "I think you deserve a reward,"

"Oh?" Lilly arched an eyebrow at Miley, "And what would that be?"

Miley drew her face nearer to Lilly's but stopped several breaths away. "Well," She smirked mischievously, "That's for you to decide,"

Lilly grinned and sat up to kiss Miley deeply. She felt Miley's lips curl further into a smile and found herself being in pulled closer. Miley bit down on Lilly's lower lip and pulled back on it softly. When she released it, Lilly lifted herself higher and continued passionately kissing Miley from this new angle.

Miley moaned as she felt Lilly's smooth lips with her tongue, and nearly stopped breathing when their two tongues met and brushed against each other. It took all off her will power to pull away.

"And just think what you'll get if you eat a whole meal!" She said, trying not to seem too out of breath.

Lilly sighed and shook head, smiling, "Ooh, you're just trying to torment me, aren't you?"

Miley shrugged and tried to act innocent. "Not at all. I'm just giving you incentive,"

"Uh-huh," Lilly rolled her eyes at Miley.

Miley sat up out of bed, trying to change the subject before she lost her willpower. "Come on, let's get dressed,"

The girls went downstairs and found Robby Ray and Jackson cleaning up from breakfast. "Hey girls, how a feelin'?"

"Good, Daddy. Thanks for breakfast,"

Lilly nodded in agreement.

Heather came out from down the hall. Upon seeing the girls, she smiled. "I thought I heard you. Good morning,"

"Morning," Miley and Lilly said in unison.

Heather walked over to them and pulled them into a firm hug. "Hope you slept well," She released them and took a breath, "Lilly, I just got off the phone with the therapist office. You have an appointment on Tuesday,"

Lilly looked away nervously and nodded. Heather then turned to Miley. "Miley, I assume you're going to want to go with her?"

"Of course," Miley smiled brightly.

Heather chuckled to herself and shook her head, "Well, I let them know you'd probably be there too,"

Miley reached for Lilly's hand, "Good,"

Jackson, who was emptying the dishwasher, suddenly looked up at the clock. "Yikes! I'm totally late for work!" He cried, scrambling for his keys, and nearly tripping over everything in the room that was between him and the door.

"Jackson!" Robby Ray hollered after him, "I don't care if you're late for the Academy Awards! If you start a job, you finish it!"

Jackson froze where he was and looked at his father pleadingly.

"I'll finish it for him," Miley said, cutting in, "But just this once," She smirked at Jackson deviously.

"Thanks, sis!" He exclaimed already halfway through the door.

Robby Ray sighed and shook his head after his son. "Well, I guess I'll go get the paper,"

Heather cell phone rang and she glanced down at it. "I've got to take this," She flipped open her cell phone and brought it up to her ear. "Hello?" She walked out of the room.

Miley started unloading the dishwasher where Jackson had stopped. "I'll help you," Lilly said, reaching for a glass.

"Thanks," Miley smiled at her. The two girls continued to put the dishes away in silence.

Lilly had begun to feel uneasy because of the silence. She glanced over at Miley. Miley was humming to herself and smiling as she reached to put a stack of bowls away. Lilly thought to herself how beautiful Miley was, and how or why she could love Lilly the way that Lilly loved her. It almost seemed unreal. After everything that had happened, Miley was still by her side, and Lilly didn't feel like she was worth it.

Lilly felt tarnished and dirty. Nowhere near good enough for Miley. Not after what her father had done to her, and not after all the things she had put Miley and her family through. Despite all that, Miley still loved her and stayed by her side, and Lilly realized that, more than anything, she was terrified that one day Miley would change her mind.

But, it runs in the family…

His voice entered Lilly's thoughts again, and she froze in fear. What if he was right? What if she was a "fuck up"? Just like him. What is she would hurt Miley?

"Lilly…?" Miley had noticed Lilly stop moving. "Lilly," She reached for Lilly's arm.

Lilly flinched and jerked away from Miley's touch, dropping the glass she had been holding in her hands. The glass fell to the floor and shattered into pieces. Lilly stared down at it.

Suddenly she came back out of her thoughts. "Oh, god," She knelt down to pick up the pieces. "I'm sorry!"

"Lilly, careful!" Miley exclaimed as she too knelt down and pulled Lilly's hands away from the jagged edges of the glass shards.

Lilly was already holding a large shard of glass, and without realizing how sharp it was, had cut the palm of her hand. She stared at the cut, dazed. Thin beads of blood appeared along the wound, and Lilly could focus on nothing else. It reminded her of how her father had cut her, but at the same time, it had distracted her unpleasant thoughts.

"Lilly!" Miley cried again, taking her by the wrists. "Lilly! Hey!"

Lilly stared up at Miley and realized where she was.

"Lilly, are you okay?" Miley was staring at her. Her lower lip was trembling, "Y-you're scaring me. Please, tell me what's wrong,"

Lilly shook her head and stood up. "Sorry, Miles, I'm okay. It just startles me, that's all,"

Miley frowned and stood up as well. She grabbed a paper towel and held it to the cut on Lilly's palm. "Alright… Why don't you let me finish up? We'll clean your cut and then go take a shower to relax, okay?"

"Okay…" Lilly smiled faintly and walked over to the kitchen table and took a seat. Miley bent down and started to pick up the glass. She glanced over at Lilly, who was once again lost in thought. Sighing, she stood up and went to get a dustpan to get the small shards off of the floor.

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"Miles! You got a phone call!" Robby Ray called from the kitchen, "It's Oliver!"

Miley stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body. "I'd better take it," She sighed, "I'm sure word got through the grapevine about what happened. He's probably freaking out,"

Lilly continued washing the soap out of her hair and nodded. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea,"

"Will you be okay finishing up in here?"

"Yeah I'll be fine," Lilly wasn't absolutely sure, but she thought she could handle it. She heard Miley hesitate before answering.

"Well, come on out when you're done," Miley finished drying off and threw on a pair of pajama bottoms and a shirt, "I'll just be in the living room,"

"Okay,"

After another hesitation, she heard the door open, and then click shut. She was now alone. The white noise of the spraying water surrounded her, and she felt very uneasy.

Closing her eyes, she sighed. Why did she have to fall apart whenever Miley wasn't around? She felt like she was being too much of a burden on Miley… and she was scared of her own reactions. She could never predict them. Lilly dreaded that one day she would do something she couldn't take back, and Miley wouldn't be able to bear staying with her.

Tears stung Lilly's eyes, but she sniffed and wiped them away. Taking a deep breath she became aware of how scared she was. She didn't like being alone. She didn't like being without Miley. She was scared of her memories.

The more she realized how scared she was, the more her memories started to play back in her mind. Lilly took a deep breath and reached to turn off the water. The sound of the rushing water that surrounded her came to an abrupt stop and she shivered in the cold bathroom air. She stepped out and wrapped herself in the towel Miley had placed out for her. She started to dry herself off when something caught her eye.

The glass shards from the broken cup were sitting in the garbage can. She wondered what they were doing there, and then she vaguely remembered that Robby Ray had told them that the garbage disposal in the kitchen was "on the fritz". Miley must have thrown them away in here when she was cleaning up.

Lilly found herself unable to remove her gaze from the shards in the trashcan. A million thoughts were running through her mind, and she wanted them all to just stop. Some of them were starting to scare her.

It was like she watched herself bend down and pick up one of the shards. She held it in her hand and stared at it. The towel around her fell to the floor, and she turned, noticing her reflection in the mirror. The cuts on her abdomen from her father were still scabbed over. She remembered how much they had hurt, how much they burned; but when she had accidentally cut her hand in the kitchen, it felt different. It had released all of her thoughts, and made them go away.

Lilly swallowed, and brought the edge of the glass shard to the edge of her ribcage. After a few seconds of uncertainty, she pushed down and jerked it across her ribs.

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Miley hung up the phone and sighed, "I swear, sometimes that boy can be such a drama queen," Miley frowned and walked over to the bathroom door. She was a little worried that she had heard the water stop some time ago, but Lilly had not come out. She knocked lightly on the door. "Lilly? Everything okay?"

"Y-yeah!" She heard Lilly nervously call out, "I'm getting dressed, I'll be out in a second!"

Miley anxiously waited by the door, concerned by the panic in Lilly's voice. A few minutes later the door opened, and Lilly stepped out. She didn't look up at Miley, and was carrying herself in a strange way.

"Lilly?" Miley gently grabbed her by the arm, "What's wrong?"

Lilly looked up at Miley worriedly, and hesitated, "S-sorry.. I just got uneasy in there on my own,"

Miley frowned and sighed. She stepped forwards and took Lilly into her arms. She could have sworn that Lilly was shaking. "Oh… Honey, it's okay," She soothed.

Lilly wasn't sure where her tears were coming from, but she buried her face into Miley's neck. Miley felt warm tears trickle onto her neck as Lilly shook in her arms. "Hey… let's go sit down, okay?"

Lilly nodded weakly. Miley pulled away and took her hand to lead her over to the couch.

The girls cuddled close together on the couch and watched television for a better part of the day. Every now and then a news report would come on and start asking the question, "Where's Hannah?" and Miley would reach to change the channel. Eventually she noticed that Lilly had fallen asleep and she leaned over to kiss her cheek.

A short time later, Jackson returned from work, and Robby Ray started cooking dinner. Heather returned from her room and after spending several hours on her laptop.

"Dinner's ready, everybody!" Robby Ray called everyone to the table. Lilly stirred and her eyes fluttered open.

"Morning, sunshine," Miley smiled at her.

Lilly yawned and started to stretch out. Miley grinned at how adorable Lilly was when she yawned. Lilly suddenly stopped yawning in mid-stretch and flinched in pain. "Lilly?"

Lilly exhaled shallowly and turned to Miley. "Is it dinner time?"

Miley studied Lilly for several moments, and then nodded. "Yeah. Daddy made vegetable soup,"

Lilly started to stand, and Miley helped her up. "Okay. Let's eat,"

After dinner, Robby Ray suggested they play a round of Blackjack for some "good old fashioned Southern togetherness". Of course, Jackson was the first to lose, and the game came down to Robby Ray and Heather, and the atmosphere in the room became very intense.

Heather ended up with the winning hand, and Robby Ray was stuck washing her car over the weekend.

"Dag nabbit…. I guess a bet's a bet," He sighed and leaned back in his chair.

Heather smirked. Her gloating was very obvious, "The inside could use a good vacuuming too,"

Robby Ray slammed his hands on the table, "Vacuuming was not part of the bet!"

"Cleaning is cleaning" Heather folded her arms and glared at him. There was an intense silence, and Robby Ray finally sat back again and sighed,

"Fine,"

"I knew you'd see things my way," She smiled and sat up, brushing the wrinkles out of her black skirt. "Well, I'm tired, I'm heading off to bed. Don't forget the wax coating, Robby Ray!" She leaned over and kissed Lilly on the top of her head. "Goodnight, sweetheart,"

With that, Heather walked towards the staircase and disappeared up the stairs.

"I'm turning in too, girls. What are your plans?" Robby Ray started picking up the cards and putting them away.

Miley exchanged glances with Lilly, "We'll probably start getting ready for bed too,"

Miley and Lilly made their way up to Miley's room. They changed into their pajamas and crawled into bed. Again, Lilly snuggled into Miley's arms.

Miley smiled and lifted her head to whisper in Lilly's ear. "Lilly… I noticed you finished all of your soup at dinner,"

Chills ran down Lilly's spine as she swallowed anxiously and nodded, "Y-yeah? Is that so? What about it?"

"That means…" Miley sat up and straddled herself over Lilly, "That means you get a reward," She practically sang her statement, and both girls moved towards each other and crashed their lips together.

Miley moaned in pleasure and ran her hands across Lilly's waist. Slowly she lifted Lilly's shirt and placed her hands on Lilly's stomach. She caressed her skin and traced the outline of Lilly's hipbones while continuing to massage Lilly's lips with her own. She moved her hands upwards, feeling Lilly tremble in anticipation, but suddenly, her hands rested on something strange. A deep slit near Lilly's ribs. She pulled away and looked at Lilly in confusion.

Miley looked down at Lilly's bare stomach and torso. "Lilly... What's this cut? I haven't seen it before,"

Lilly turned away from Miley. Tears were building in her eyes.

"Lilly!" Miley grabbed her by the wrists trying to get her to look at her. Her voice was scattered by sobs, "H-How did this cut get here?" Miley asked, but she already knew the answer.

Lilly looked away, tears now streaming down her eyes. All she could mange was a weary: "M-Miley.. I-I'm sorry,"

Miey collapse onto Lilly and took her into her arms, sobbing. All she could say was, "Lilly, why?" through her sobs. Over and over again.


	14. Chapter 14

**I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors and actresses in the show. **

Miley, Lilly, and Robby Ray sat in the waiting room of the therapist office. Heather and Robby had agreed that only one of them should go with them and wait in the waiting during the appointment, and then argued about which one of them it should be.

Heather argued that she was the one who made the appointment, and Robby Ray won the argument when he took the tires off of her car for "special cleaning".

Miley restlessly stroked Lilly's hand in hers. She was still shaken up from the previous night about finding Lilly's cut. When she had finally been able to stop crying, she was too drained to confront the situation. She nestled herself into Lilly's arms and closed her eyes. Lilly had been shaken up by Miley's reaction. Guilt hung heavy over her, and she was unable to sleep. She kept running the moment when she had cut herself over and over again in her head, calling herself stupid and selfish. She hung her arms around Miley, trying to suppress her shaking, and give Miley some sort comfort.

She hated herself for what she had done. She had hurt Miley… just as she had been scared she would. She resented herself and didn't know if she could ever make things right.

The door open and a middle-aged woman with long hair and kind eyes stepped out with an inviting smile. "Lilly?" Lilly stood up and nodded. Miley stood up after her, and the woman's gaze fell on Miley. "And you must be Miley,"

"Yes," Miley smiled politely.

The woman stepped aside and cleared the doorway for both of them to enter. "My name's Lisa, come on in and have a seat,"

Lilly exchanged glances with Miley, and they both walked through the door. Lisa turned towards Robby Ray. "We'll be about an hour,"

"Sure thing," Robby Ray nodded and pulled out his book that he had brought from home.

Lisa entered the room behind the girls and shut the door behind her. Lilly stood in the room with Miley behind her. She wasn't sure where to sit. There were two chairs, one of which was obviously Lisa's, and a red couch. Finally, Miley took her hand and led her to the couch. They both sat down and Miley held onto Lilly's trembling hand.

Lisa walked over to her chair and sat down. She smiled softly. "Well, Lilly, Miley, I've read the circumstances in which you've come to see me. I want you to know that everything in this room is confidential, and we don't have to talk about anything unless you're ready,"

Lilly nodded weakly, "O-okay,"

Miley was silent. Lisa saw how troubled she looked. "Miley? Is something on your mind?"

Miley hesitated, and the tears in her eyes were visible. "It's… It's just…" She looked over at Lilly for reassurance. Lilly sighed and nodded. She wanted Miley's mind to be settled more than anything. Miley took a deep shaky breath, "It's just… Lilly was doing better… she had started eating, and smiling, and laughing more… but then I found a cut, and it hurt me to know that she had hurt herself,"

A silence hung in the air. Lilly could feel her face burn with shame and lowered her head. Miley's grip on her hand tightened.

Lisa cleared her throat and leaned back in her chair. "Lilly? Is there anything you want to say about that?"

Lilly took a deep breath and shifted uneasily where she sat. "I…All these thoughts were going around in my head. I didn't like them… When I accidentally cut my hand on the broken glass in the kitchen, it sort of… distracted those thoughts… and released a lot of pent up emotion," She didn't quite understand what she was saying.

Lisa paused to process Lilly's answer for a moment. "What kind of thoughts were you having?"

Lilly didn't want to answer. She felt ashamed and embarrassed, but she would do it for Miley. She lowered her head and hesitated before answering. "W-well… um… before my dad killed himself… he said he was sorry for being such a ….a fuck up…" She hesitated, feeling awkward using that language in front of a therapist. "Then he said, that it runs in he family… and then he was gone… And… it's just sort of been in the back of my mind every since… That maybe I'm a fuck up, and I'll hurt people. People I love. Like Miley, and my mom, and her family. I didn't like thinking about it, but I couldn't stop… I thought… maybe hurting myself would distract these thoughts, and even stop me from hurting them… but…but I was wrong…"

Lilly heard Miley sniffle and saw her bring her hand to her eye and wipe her face.

"Lilly, what you're father did to," Lisa's voice became soft and compassionate, "What does it make you think about yourself?"

"That I'm dirty. And worthless," Lilly didn't have to think about it for very long.

Miley bit down on her lower lip and took a deep breath. She exhaled heavily and shook her head sadly as she stroked Lilly's hand with her thumb.

"Miley? What do you think about Lilly?"

Miley didn't have to stop to think either. "I love her. I'll always love her. She's beautiful; inside and out. Every day I'm grateful that she's alive. It kills me that she's been put through so much pain. I know she trusts me, but I feel like she's too scared or ashamed to share some thing with me... I want her to be able to tell me everything so I can help her and love her and be there. I want her to know, no matter what, I'll love her," Miley squeezed Lilly's hand tenderly.

Lisa smiled softly and turned to Lilly, who had lowered her head and started to cry quietly. "Well, Lilly… it sounds like you have a very strong support system. That's a very important thing to have right now, and not everyone can find one as strong as what I'm hearing Miley say," Lilly sniffled and nodded weakly, "Lilly, if Miley needed support, would you want to support her in the same way that Miley wants to support you?"

"Y-yes," She moved closer to Miley so that their sides were touching.

"Then what's stopping you from being open with Miley about your struggles?"

Lilly couldn't hold back her tears anymore, "I feel like I've already been so much of a burden. So much has happened, and it's affected everyone; especially Miley,"

Milley turned and wrapped her arms around Lilly who cried into Miley's shoulder. "Shhh, honey, you'd never, ever, _**ever**_ be a burden to me,"

"I-I know… I just…" Lilly never finished her sentence, but continued to cry.

When she calmed down, Lisa spoke. "Lilly, there's a process called EMDR that helps dig deeper into Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. At some point, if you'd be up for it, I'd like to try it with you. It's based on eye movement and will allow your brain to process things more clearly. It's too early to do anything with it now, but once we've visited more and found some more of the triggers, I would like to try it with you,"

"S-sure," Lilly finished wiping tears from her cheeks.

Lisa nodded towards Miley, "Miley, if there's anything you need to talk about, please share too. This is about both of you getting through this, together,"

"Alright, I will," Miley nodded back.

"Now, Lilly, I want you to work on sharing more of your struggles with Miley, and allow yourself to show her those insecurities, knowing that she will support and accept you no matter what,"

Miley glanced over at Miley, who smiled softly and nodded.

"O-okay… I'll try to do that more," Lilly laced her fingers with Miley's.

"Alright," Lisa smiled and stood up, "You're on the books for every Tuesday and Thursday, so I'll see you on Thursday,"

Miley and Lilly stood up too, "Okay… thank you,"

They exited the room and found Robby Ray asleep in the waiting room. Smiling, Miley leaned over and tapped him on the shoulder. "Daddy, wake up,"

Robby Ray jumped up, "I'm up!" He looked around, bewildered. His eyes eventually rested on the girls. "H-howdy girls. How was it?"

"It was good…" Lilly said furrowing her brow, "I think it's probably going to help," Miley squeezed her hand.

"Well, good," He smiled and stood up, "I'm happy to hear that. Let's go get some ice cream on our way home,"

Miley and Lilly smiled. Robby Ray always took them out for ice cream after any appointment.

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Miley and Lilly made it up to Miley's room after getting home and filling an anxious Heather in on how the appointment was. She had ordered out for some pizza while they were gone to get back at Robby Ray and ruin any plans he had for cooking dinner that night.

_"Alright!" Jackson had exclaimed as he returned home from work. "That's a smell I always like to smell!" He took a long whiff of the aroma from the pizza._

_Robby Ray sat down at the table and crossed his arms in protest, casting a quick glare over at Heather who was smiling in victory. "Yeah, great. Grease-ridden bread soaked in cheese. Nothing exciting about that,"_

_"Say what you will, Daddy-O, you gotta mix it up every now and then!" Jackson walked over and picked the largest piece of pizza from the pizza box._

_"Yeah, sure," Robby Ray grumbled, and then reached for his own piece of pizza._

Now that Miley and Lilly had finished dinner, they sat down on Miley's bed. Lilly was still very quiet, feeling ashamed of what she had done. Miley sighed and moved closer to her. She carefully draped her arms around Lilly and rested her head on her. Lilly lowered her head and they sat there in silence.

"Hey, Lilly?" Miley was the one that broke the silence, "Do you really feel that way about yourself?"

Lilly hesitated and then nodded weakly.

Miley sighed, and lay back, taking Lilly with her. "I really wish…" She choked back her tears, "That you didn't… you're so beautiful and… and wonderful," Miley nuzzled her head in Lilly's shoulder. "I don't know where's I'd be without you," Her voice was barely beyond a whisper.

Lilly swallowed and turned to face Miley. They stared into each other's tear filled eyes. Lilly smiled faintly. "Miley… you're the one who's wonderful… you've been here with me through everything… I'm so lucky to have you care about me so much. You've sacrificed everything for me… I… I love you so much," She buried her face in Miley's arms and began to weep softly.

Miley pulled Lilly closer and kissed her gently on top of the head. "I love you too, hon. More than anything else… So… please…." Tear started to escape Miley's eyes at an alarming rate. "Please don't hurt yourself,"

Lilly trembled with tears, and slowly pulled herself up. With tears streaming down her face, she looked down at Miley, who looked lovingly up at her. She tried to speak, but her tears were too strong. With no other way to express the intense emotion that ran throughout her body, she passionately threw herself into Miley's arms and crashed their lips together.

Miley arched her back and pulled herself into the kiss. A long moan escaped her throat as she wrapped her arms around Lilly. Lilly pulled away from the kiss and began trailing kisses from her jawbone down to her neck.

Miley's dropped open as she squirmed with pleasure beneath Lilly. Her breathing became labored and fast. Her body began to tremble as Lilly ran her hands underneath her shirt, and rested them on the side of her bra. "Lilly," Miley gasped as Lilly trailed her kisses to Miley's collarbone, "I'm ready… I-if you are,"

Lilly nodded and tenderly traced her fingers around her outline of Miley's bra. She ran her fingers around to Miley's back, and reached to unhook the bra's latch.

As the bra was unhooked, both Miley and Lilly were filled with liberation. Miley felt her breast drop slightly, becoming free of the piece of lingerie that seconds before had bound her. She felt Lilly's fingers slowly move towards her chest, and she shuddered in anticipation.

Lilly's hands stopped just below Miley's ribs. Her hands cupped the bottom of Miley's breast and massaged them slowly and carefully. Miley moaned and then bit down on her bottom lip. Lilly lifted her hands, and trailed her fingertips up the soft curve of Miley's breast. The tips of her fingers stopped at Miley's nipple and she ran her fingers around the perimeter of her areola.

Miley's back arched more, and she pulled Lilly closer to her. Lilly lifted her head, and looked into Miley's eyes. Miley stared at her longingly and nodded. With that, Lilly knelt back and lowered her mouth to Miley's stomach. She tenderly kissed a circle around Miley's belly button and started to move upwards to her torso. As Lilly's kisses neared Miley's ribs, Miley tensed and ran her fingers through Lilly's hair and down to her neck, stroking her skin gently.

Lilly brought her hands back up to the sides of Miley's breast and started to massage then tenderly once more. Her kisses led up to Miley's breastbone and she kissed the skin between the breasts.

Miley shuddered as Lilly pulled away for one second, and then moved her mouth over to Miley's left nipple. Miley moaned as Lilly began to suckle on her nipple gently. She felt the warmth of Lilly's mouth all over her breast, and the moist wetness from her tongue as is licked the center of her nipple.

Miley moaned quietly and rubbed her thighs together restlessly. Lilly pulled away again and moved over to Miley's other nipple. After repeating the same routine, Lilly pulled away and slowly lifted herself from Miley's chest. Miley stared up at Lilly breathlessly, and quickly sat up and pulled Lilly towards her, crashing their lips together.

She parted Lilly's lips with her tongue and invited Lilly's tongue into her mouth. Lilly took up the offer and their tongues began to caress each other's. It was Miley's turn to run her hands up Lilly's torso. She pulled away and lifted Lilly's shirt. Lilly sat back and licked her lips nervously. Miley leaned forwards to kiss Lilly's stomach, but she stopped.

Her eyes rested on the large jagged scars on Lilly's abdomen; the ones that Lilly's father had left her with permanently. She stared at them as tears formed in her eyes. She then slowly leaned forwards and gently kissed the scars.

Lilly felt Miley's warm tears drip onto her stomach, and she sighed sadly. Miley lifted Lilly's shirt more, and shallowly gasped as she saw that the cut Lilly has given herself had opened and was slowly starting to bleed. She leaned forwards, trembling, and kissed above the opening wound. Then, she was overcome by her tears and lowered her head to sob.

Lilly sat up and pulled her shirt down. She lay down next to Miley and pulled her into her arms. "L-Lilly," Miley sobbed as she clung onto Lilly's clothes.

"Shhh, it's okay. Let's go to sleep," Lilly whispered soothingly in her ear.

Miley nodded weakly and cuddled closer into Lilly's embrace.

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The next morning when Miley and Lilly went downstairs for breakfast, they saw a flustered Robby Ray sitting at the table reading the paper.

"What's wrong, Daddy?" Miley asked, making sure she had wiped all of the dried tears from the night before off of her face.

Robby Ray sighed and tossed the paper in front of Miley. The headline read: "**Hannah Montana: Calling it Quits?** _Rumors such as pregnancy and illness start to circle the tabloids"_

"Great," Miley rolled her eyes and pushed the paper back towards her father, "This is the last thing I need right now,"

"I know," Robby Ray nodded, "What do you wanna do, Miles? You think you got a comeback performance in you? That would at least stop all the gossip,"

Miley glanced over at Lilly uneasily and hesitated.

"Miley, you should. I know you love concerts," Lilly smiled and took her by the hand, "I'll be okay,"

Miley still seemed hesitant.

"Tell you what, Miles," Robby Ray sat up, "Why don't I book a concert in San Jose, we'll book a few rooms at the hotel near the auditorium, and we'll just take it easy. There's a decent sized auditorium there, and it wont be too crowded. After the show we could just take it easy and lay low. We can invite Oliver, and Heather, and we can all make triple-sure that Lilly's doing alright," He looked over to Lilly who nodded in agreement.

"It'll be fine, Miles," Lilly smiled and squeezed Miley's hand.

Miley sighed, and after several moments of thought she sighed, "Oh, alright,"


	15. Chapter 15

I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors and actresses in the television show.

Miley stood in front of the mirror in her and Lilly's hotel room. They had arrived in San Jose for Miley's performance earlier in the evening, with Oliver and Robby Ray. She had finished putting on all of her Hannah apparel and was carefully applying her lip-gloss.

Lilly lay on her stomach, sprawled out across the bed. She was already dressed as Lola and was watching Miley intently, her gaze fixated on her lips.

Miley rubbed her lips together and screwed the cap onto her lip-gloss. She turned to Lilly and smiled. "How do I look?"

Lilly blushed and nodded at Miley with a shy smile, "Gorgeous," She stood up and walked over to Miley. Wrapping her arms around Miley's waist, she pulled her into a brief kiss. "You're lip-gloss tastes good too," She grinned playfully, feeling braver.

Miley smiled and pulled Lilly back towards her, continuing the kiss. "Thanks. It's strawberry,"

"Oh?" Lilly cocked an eyebrow, "Are you sure about that? 'Cause I tasted more of a watermelon,"

Miley smirked, "Nope, it's definitely 100% strawberry. Maybe you need another taste,"

They brushed their lips together again, and Miley took a step forwards, backing Lilly onto the bed. Slowly they lowered themselves down onto the comforter.

Lilly pulled away, "Y-You're right," She said flustered, "It's strawberry,"

"Don't ever question my lip-gloss knowledge," Miley leaned back down and licked Lilly's lips. Lilly opened her mouth and invited Miley's tongue inside. Miley brushed her tongue against Lilly's and placed her hands underneath her shirt. Lilly moaned, and reluctantly pulled away.

"M-Miley," she panted, "Your show's in an hour… I don't want to hold you up,"

Miley lowered herself and ran her tongue up Lilly's bare stomach. Lilly shivered and moaned again. "We have time," Miley's voice was low and husky, "Besides… We didn't get to continue from last night… It's sort of been bugging me," She neared Lilly's breast, being sure to stay clear of the cut on her ribs. "And isn't it nice…? Having this room all to ourselves?"

Lilly nodded slowly. "Y-yeah,"

Miley reached around and unhooked Lilly's bra. Her heart was racing, and she could feel Lilly's heartbeat pounding through her chest. She pulled away just before reaching the curve of Lilly's breast. "Lilly… Only if you're ready,"

"I'm ready," Lilly whispered, closing her eyes.

Miley licked Lilly's breast and up towards her nipple. She wet her lips and brought them to her nipple, beginning to suck on it gently. Her sucking began harder and more intense and she could feel Lilly's nipple becoming hard in her mouth. She gently took the tip of the nipple in between her teeth and bit down on it softly.

Lilly's back arched and she trembled with delight. Miley drifted over to the other breasts and circled the areola with her tongue. She boldly moved her hand down towards Lilly's waistline and traced her protruding hipbones. She slipped her hand underneath Lilly's skirt, resting it above her underwear. Hearing Lilly's breath become faint in anticipation, she continued running her hand lower and onto Lilly's thighs, where she began caressing her smooth skin.

Slowly, Miley traced her fingertips towards the inside of Lilly's thighs. She could feel warmth emanating from between her legs. In one flowing motion, she brought her hand back up towards the rim of Lilly's underwear, and dipped it underneath the elastic fabric. She began massaging the outside lips of Lilly's vagina, moving her way further down.

Suddenly, Lilly cringed. "M-Miley," Miley slowly retracted her hand from underneath Lilly's underwear.

"What?" Miley asked worriedly, "What is it?"

"He was the last person… who touched down there…" Lilly furrowed her brow and looked troubled, "If… if he gave me something, I don't want to give it to you… I want to keep going, but… I think we should wait for the tests to come back,"

Miley nodded her head, not believing how carried away she had gotten. "You're totally right, Lil," She smiled and lay down next to Lilly, catching her breath. She wrapped her arms around her. "I got a little caught up in the moment…"

Lilly smiled back at her, and leaned over to kiss Miley's cheek. "But… if you were up for it, later tonight, I could…" Lilly blushed and looked down, embarrassed, "I could… explore some of you,"

Miley leaned over and returned Lilly's kiss. She grinned at her. "Well that's all up to how bold you're feeling,"

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Within the hour, Lilly and Miley had been rushed backstage to prepare for the show. Miley was hurried away, once again, but she made sure that either Oliver or her father was with Lilly before she went anywhere.

Lilly quietly waited near the back of the auditorium with Oliver as the fans started to file into the room. This particular auditorium only seated about 500, so it was to be a very intimate show, and wasn't overwhelmingly packed. Lilly and Oliver were able to stay out of the way, and remained unbothered by the crowd.

Lilly gazed out into the crowd; her mind was still replaying her experience with Miley only an hour ago. She was wondering to herself, if she would be able to be bold enough to, as she put it, "explore" Miley more. Sighing, she lowered her head in embarrassment. "Explore"? How could she have said it that way? It came out sounding so… lame…

She was brought back to attention, when she heard a loud voice. "Hey! It's Lola!"

Looking up, Lilly saw a handful of teenaged boys staring towards her. They turned, breaking away from the crowd, and started walking towards her. Their body language and expressions were excited, and to Lilly, intimidating. She found herself stepping back behind Oliver, and trying to shrink away.

As they neared, Oliver stepped more in front of Lilly. "What do you want?" He asked, trying to seem masculine, seeing as how most of the boys were bigger and taller than he was. "You tryin' to pull something funny?"

The boys stopped and stared at Oliver, who stood his ground. The boy who stood in front spoke. "We're not "tryin' to pull" anything. We just saw Lola, and-"

"You saw Lola? Why would you be lookin' for her?!" Oliver puffed out his chest and narrowed his eyes, being extra protective and cautious.

"Look," one of the boys behind the first one spoke up, "What are you, her boyfriend?"

Oliver exhaled quickly, nearly choking on his out spit. "N-No, no! I'm just her friend!" His mind went to Miley, and how pissed off she would be if Oliver had ever even thought about it.

"Well, listen, we're kind of Lola fans. We come to all of the Hannah concert we can, with the hope of seeing Lola. We've seen her from far away, but…" He glanced over at Lilly and blushed, "This is the first time we've been this close,"

Lilly felt uncomfortable, and wondered how Miley handled this from thousands of people at once.

Oliver was caught off guard, and took a moment to compose himself. "Well, you saw her. Congratulations. Now, if you'll please go find your seats, that'd be great. The concert is about to start,"

"Hey, come on, this is all we came for. Can we just talk to her a little?" The boy moved his head to the side to peak around Oliver and see Lilly. "We can talk with you, can't we, Lola?"

Lilly trembled slightly, and looked away shyly. The lights began to dim and Oliver stepped between the boys view of Lilly. "Sorry, buddy, no chance. Look, go find your seats and enjoy the show,"

One of the boys scoffed, "There's no reason to stay and watch the show if we can't talk to Lola," The boys turned and filed one by one out the way they came.

Lilly stared after them in shock, amazed at how coldly they had treated Miley's Hannah concert, but at the same time, she sighed in relief as they left. She reached over and tugged on Oliver's sleeve. "Thank you, Oliver,"

Oliver smiled and winked at her. "No one messes with Mike Stanley III, and his good buddy Lola… Lufferr…niggle…!"

Lilly rolled her eyes. "It's Luftnagle, Mr. Mike Stanley The Doughnut,"

"Err… Right," Oliver smiled sheepishly.

The lights dimmed and the crowd began cheering. They both looked up to the stage to see Miley step out into the spotlight.

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Miley flung herself onto the bed and sighed, "Phew! I worked up a good sweat!" She rolled over and smiled at Lilly, who walked over to the bed and sat down. "Hey, Oliver told me about your fan club! How's it feel to be stalked?"

"You were great tonight, Miles," She leaned over and kissed Miley on the cheek, ignoring her comment about the fan club, "Absolutely brilliant,"

"Yeah?" Miley smiled, as Lilly lay down next to her, "What else?"

Lilly grinned and moved to kiss Miley's other cheek. "Astonishing," She moved upwards and planted a kiss her forehead. "Marvelous," She leaned back down and kissed Miley's chin. "Stunning," She moved up to the tip of Miley's nose, "Spectacular,"

Lilly paused, and furrowed her brow. "Errr… I can't think of any more words… but you were all that and more,"

Miley laughed, and pulled Lilly towards her for a kiss on the lips. "You stopped there on purpose, didn't you?"

"Maybe," Lilly smirked and stuck her tongue out playfully.

A peaceful atmosphere fell over the room as they stared at each other, still smiling. Lilly shifted and bit down on her lower lip.

Miley cocked her eyebrow at Lilly's flustered gesture. "What is it?"

Lilly remained silent for several more seconds, and then slowly leaned over Miley, and kissed her deep and passionately. She slipped her tongue in between Miley's lips and with it, licked the inside of her lips. She pulled away, slowly, catching Miley's bottom lip between her teeth and tugging on it gently before releasing it.

Miley stared up at Lilly with an anxious look on her face. She exhaled heavily and blinked. "Wow…"

Lilly smiled and ran her front teeth across her bottom lip, and leaned down.

"Hannah~!" A high nasally voice called through the door. Lilly was startled and jumped up off of Miley. Miley sat up and made sure her Hannah wig was still in place. There was hasty knocking on the door that followed. "Hannah, darling, it's Traci!"

Miley and Lilly exchanged expressions of dread. "Maybe, if we're quiet, she'll go away," Lilly whispered.

"Hannah~! I got your room number from your manager! He was hesitant at first, but then I let him know that whoever doesn't answer Traci Van Horn's questions gets to meet my Samoan security guard Rajid!"

Miley glanced over at Lilly, who shook her head and shrugged. Miley sighed and walked to the door. She put on the best fake smile she could and swung the door open. "Traci, hi! I didn't know you were coming to this show!"

Traci leaned forwards and gave Miley a weak hug. Pulling away, she flipped her hair behind her shoulder dramatically. "Oh, I wouldn't have missed it for the world! With all those rumors about you being pregnant, or deathly ill, or wanted in another country, I knew you'd need me there for support!"

"Oh, thank you, Traci!" Miley cringed slightly. And she was pretty sure that Traci had made the last rumor up on the spot. "You _really_ didn't have to,"

"But of course! Where would you be without your best friend to back you up?"

Miley could practically hear Lilly's teeth grinding behind her.

"So, um," Miley forced a smile. "Was there something you needed?"

Traci flipped her hair again and placed her hand on her hip. "I rented a suite here, and I'm throwing a huge bash in honor of your reappearance back in the celeb-world! I'm calling it, "Traci Van Horn's Sweet Suite Hannah Party"!

Lilly mock-gagged from behind the door. Miley tried not to laugh and cleared her throat to cover up the sound.

Traci continued, as if there had been no interruption. "You _have _to come. If you don't show up for this, the rumor's will really start to fly,"

Sighing, Miley knew Traci was right. She at least had to make an appearance. "I guess that means I'm going,"

"Of course you are!" Traci squealed, "There's no need to thank me! I know you'd do the same for me!"

Miley smiled nervously, "Y-yeah,"

Traci pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. "This is the room number. I have a surprise waiting for you there too, so hurry over!"

"I will," Miley nodded. Her face was starting to hurt from faking smiles.

"See you soon, Hannah~!"

After Traci walked away, Miley was finally able to relax her face muscles. Her smiled faded as she sighed and shut the door. Turning around she faced Lilly. "Remind me to write a really nasty letter to Traci, but make sure not to actually send it,"

Lilly frowned, "I can't promise I won't send it… Are you really going to go?"

Miley sighed again, and walked over to sit next to Lilly on the bed. "Well, now I _have_ to… Like she said, if I don't show up, more rumors will start…"

It was Lilly's turn to sigh now, and she fell back onto the comforter. "Okay… Traci will probably throw a fit if I go… So… just, try not to take too long, okay? I'll find a cheesy movie on while you're gone,"

Miley leaned over and kissed Lilly's forehead. "I won't. I'll show up, throw a few smiles, and get the Sam hell outta there. And then, it's just you and me,"

"Good," Lilly smiled and sat back up.

"I guess I'll get this over with… Please promise me you'll go to Daddy and Oliver's room if something happens," Miley stood up and squeezed Lilly's hand in hers. Lilly smiled at her faintly and nodded. Miley felt a twang of sadness in her heart, and leaned down to kiss Lilly's lips tenderly. "I'll see you soon,"

Lilly watched Miley walk to the door and open it. "Miley," She stood up, "Wait,"

Miley turned, and Lilly walked over to her, wrapping her arms around her. She pulled her towards her and took Miley's lips in hers.

She pulled away and leaned her forehead against Miley's "See you soon,"

Miley smiled and hugged Lilly close to her. She pulled away and stepped out into the hallway. "Yes, you definitely will,"

Miley reached to close the door. "Make sure you have some punch from the punch bowl that's shaped like Traci's face!" Lilly joked, causing Miley to smile as the door closed behind her.

Now, Miley stood in the quiet hallway and sighed. She hated being called away from Lilly. This wasn't the way she had seen the evening going, but she decided to buck up, get it over with, and get back as soon as she could, to be with Lilly.

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Lilly sprawled herself out on the bed again. She, too, sighed, and then closed her eyes. "I don't believe it. Just when I finally got up the nerve to start something…" She lay there in silence, her mind caught on Miley, and eventually dozed off.

She was awoken by a knock on the door. Lilly sat up groggily and looked to around. She didn't know how long she had been asleep, but it had been long enough for a faint trail of drool to form at the corner of her mouth. She wiped away the drool with her sleeve and stood up from the bed. Finally becoming fully awake, she grinned widely. "Miley's back," she sang to herself, and made her way over to the door.

Opening it, she stared out, confused. It wasn't Miley at the door. It was a teenage boy that Lilly recognized from somewhere.

"Lola!' He said excitedly, stepping forwards into the room, "It's me! We met earlier before the concert…! Well.. We kind of met,"

Lilly remember now. He was the boy in front. She backed away, terrified, realizing she was cornered and alone.

"The rest of the guys went home after the concert, but I thought maybe there was a chance after the show to see you," He realized how scared Lilly looked and took another step forward anxiously. "I-I don't mean any harm, I just wanna talk and get to know you,"

"G-get away," Lilly whispered as the tears built in her eyes.

"Lola…" He took yet another step forward.

Lilly fell to her knees and curled into a ball, cowering. "Get away!"

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When Miley had found the room that Traci had written down for her, she was practically on the other side of the hotel. The rooms were bigger, and the halls were longer, and when Miley heard loud music booming down the hall, she figured she had to be close.

She had knocked on the door, and waited for nearly a minute. She sighed and knocked again, this time, louder. The door finally opened and Traci appeared in the doorway. "Hannah! We thought you'd never make it!" She pulled Miley in for a brief awkward hug and then shut the door behind them.

"It took me a while to figure out how to get here," Miley smiled and took a moment to look around the room. Traci had somehow managed to get a considerable amount of good-looking people in fashionable clothing to come. She wondered if Traci actually knew them, or if they had just come for their own publicity. The room was slightly dimmed and the music had been turned down upon Miley's arrival.

"Come, come!" Traci grabbed Miley's hands and pulled her further into the room. "Now, let me show you the surprise I was talking about,"

Miley allowed herself to be lead to the far end of the room, and stopped in front of a blonde-hair blue-eyed boy who greeted them with a smile (obviously very proud of the years of trips to orthodontist, and frequent brushing).

Traci smirked slyly, "Hannah, this is Chad. He's from _Europe_!" She raised her eyebrows and winked at Miley.

Miley swallowed and smiled, uncomfortably, not sure how to get out of Traci's set up. "Nice to meet you, Chad," She stuck out her hand to shake his.

Chad took her hand and smiled, showing his pearly whites. "The pleasure is all mine, Hannah. I've been interested in meeting you for a long time,"

Miley was almost certain his accent was fake.

"It's true! He's been asking me about you ever since he saw us together in that magazine!" Traci cackled and turned a mischievous eye towards Miley. "I'll let you two get acquainted. Tah-tah!"

Before Miley could protest, Traci walked away, leaving her standing next to Chad. He cleared his throat and blushed. Reaching in his pocket, he pulled out a piece of paper and wrote on it. "L-Listen, I'm in the states for a few months. If you want, why don't you call me up?" He made sure to flash his teeth at her again.

Suddenly Miley was struck by a bad feeling. She thought of Lilly. She missed her. She also couldn't believe she had left her alone again. So _what_ if Hannah's reputation was ruined? Lilly was more important than that. How did Lilly feel, waiting alone in the room? Everything bad happened when Lilly was left alone. "Huh?" She noticed Chad was smiling at her, holding out a piece of paper. "O-oh, right. Thanks," She took the piece of paper from him and waited until no one was watching to slip out of the room and get back to Lilly.

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Miley raced down the hallways. All that was on her mind was Lilly. "Lilly…. Lilly… Lilly!" Her mind and heart were racing as she ran, and with each breath, more regret seemed to set in.

After what seemed like an eternity, she neared in upon the door to her and Lilly's room. She noticed something strange and stopped cold in her tracks. The door was slightly ajar.

It took several seconds for fear and panic to fully strike Miley. When it did, she sprinted into the room. "Lilly!"

She didn't see her, but the bathroom light was on. "Lilly?! Are you in there?!" She desperately turned the knob of the door and realized the shower was running. She entered the bathroom and saw that the shower drapes here closed.

"Lilly…?" Miley held her breath and tiptoed towards the shower. "I-I'm going to open the drapes, okay?"

When she still didn't get an answer, her panic increased. She walked past the Lola wig and clothes that were laying on the floor andreached for the shower drapes and drew them open.

Lilly was sitting in the shower, hugging her knees and quietly sobbing. "Oh, god, Lilly!" Miley removed her Hannah wig and her clothes and stepped into the shower. She knelt down and pulled Lilly into her arms, trying to remain composed. "Oh, god, Lilly, please tell me nothing happened,"

It as a few seconds before Lilly could gather the strength to stop sobbing long enough to speak. "N-nothing happened…." She choked. "One of the Lola fan boys found the room and just w-wanted to talk. I-I freaked out, and he got freaked out and ran out. I….I was so scared. I was scared it would happen again…"

Miley sighed with relief and rested her chin on Lilly's head. "Oh, Lilly… Oh, honey… I'm so glad you're okay… I shouldn't have left you,"

Lilly clung to Miley and buried her head in Miley's arms. "S-stay here with me," she pleaded.

Miley smiled. "Always,"

They remained in the shower for some time afterwards. Then, Miley helped Lilly out of the shower and helped her dry off and then get dressed into her pajamas. They crawled under the covers of the bed, and Lilly snuggled herself into Miley's arms. Miley kissed the top of Lilly's head and held her tight.

This is what Miley wanted. More than anything sexual. Holding Lilly in her arms was more than enough for her.


	16. Chapter 16

**I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors and actresses in the television show. **

Once again, Lilly sat nervously on the doctor's bed with Miley at her side. They had come in for the results of Lilly's tests. Miley watched as Lilly anxiously drummed her fingers against the bed and twitched her feet.

"Lil, it's gonna be okay," Miley smiled and reached over to take Lilly's hand.

Lilly sighed and stopped her sequence of nervous, wrapping her fingers around Miley's hand. "I'm really scared, Miley," She admitted.

Miley smiled and put her arm around Lilly's waist, leaning into her. "Lilly, even if something comes back positive, it doesn't change anything. You'll still be Lilly, and I love you," Miley paused to turn her head and kiss Lilly's cheek, "And I _know_ how cheesy that sounded, but I mean every word of it, so don't make fun of me,"

Sighing, Lilly allowed a smile to find it's way to her lips. She melted into Miley's embrace and nodded. "I love you,"

The door opened and the doctor, whose name Lilly never actually remembered stepped in. "Hello, girls," He gave them a welcoming smile and pulled up a chair. "How have you both been doing?"

"Good," Lilly simply replied.

"Good, Dr. Patterson," Miley agreed, and Lilly made a mental note of his name, "We've gone to a therapist, and started talking more vulnerably with each other,"

Lilly blushed at Miley's openness, but also admired it.

Dr. Patterson smiled, "Well I'm glad to hear that, girls," Something about him reminded Lilly of Robbie Ray, and that made her more comfortable. "Alright, well let's get down to the results, then, shall we?"

Miley squeezed Lilly's hand tightly and they both nodded. Dr. Patterson flipped through the papers on his clipboard. "Well, you're not pregnant, Lilly,"

Both Miley and Lilly sighed in relief. The worst of their worries had been lifted off of their shoulders. They exchanged quick smiles and then turned back to Dr. Patterson.

"In fact, besides some minor internal abrasion, the only thing you tested positive for was Genital HSV-1,"

Miley felt Lilly's grip on her hand loosen, and she glanced over to see Lilly's horrified expression. She tightened her grip on Lilly's hand, reminding her that she was there, and pulled herself together to ask the questions that were circling around in her head. She knew Lilly was too shaken up to ask them herself.

"What is that?" Miley asked much more timidly than she intended, "And what does it mean?"

Dr. Patterson set down his clipboard and sighed. "Well, it's Herpes," He noted how much more horrified Lilly looked as he said this and continued, "Herpes is much more common than most people think it is. 8 out of 10 American's have it. The strand you have can be medicated to control outbreaks. Outbreaks happen much less frequently in this particular strand too, and are generally much less uncomfortable because they are more often located in or near the mouth,"

Lilly tried to keep her composure. "S-so it's in my mouth?"

Dr. Patterson nodded. "You shouldn't have any problems. You will _know_ when you have an outbreak, so you don't have to worry about that. I've already written you a prescription that you can have filled," Afer he finished, no one spoke for a while. "Did you have any more questions?"

Miley turned to Lilly, "Lilly?" Lilly weakly shook her head. Miley turned back to Doctor Patterson, "I think that's it. Thank you so much,"

He nodded and handed her the prescription, seeing how Lilly was still too shaken up to speak. "You can have the front desk call this in before you go. They'll take care of it," He hesitated, giving Lilly a worried look. "Take care, girls. Please call if you have any questions or concerns,"

Miley nodded, and tugged Lilly's hand gently, letting her know it was time to go. "We will. Thanks again,"

Miley led Lilly out of the room.

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The ride home was very quiet. Miley would worriedly glance over at Lilly and find her looking out the car window. She was concerned about the delay of reaction Lilly was showing, and the numbness in her eyes.

Miley crept her hand into Lilly's and moved closer to her. Robbie Ray seemed to be sending her glances through the rear view mirror as well.

When he had asked what the results were, Miley had told him. He seemed to share Miley's relief that HSV-1 was the only test that had come back positive, but when he saw the unfeeling look on Lilly's face, he became concerned with how she was taking it.

"Hey, you girls wanna go get some ice cream?" He chimed in, breaking the silence.

Miley looked to Lilly for a response. Lilly simply shook her head. "I'm not hungry, but don't let me stop you from going,"

"Lilly and I can get something small and share," Miley suggested, wanting to cheer Lilly up.

Robbie Ray nodded, "Alright. Next stop: Ice cream!" He quickly switched lanes.

They arrived at the small little ice cream shop tucked behind the city bustle that Robbie Ray always took them to. Getting out of the car, he exchanged an understanding look with Miley. "Er, girls, I just remembered I gotta run to the bank. Go ahead and get some ice cream and I'll be back in a few minutes," He pulled out a 10 dollar bill and handed it to Miley, flashing her a wink.

Miley smiled, "Okay. Thanks Daddy,"

Robbie Ray drove off, and Miley turned to Lilly, taking her arm. "What do you wanna get, Lil?"

Lilly blinked and stared at Miley, "I… I don't really care, you can pick,"

Miley frowned. Lilly like strawberry. Miley, however, like chocolate. After giving it some thought, she decided to compromise and get a medium cup of Neapolitan.

Once she paid for the ice cream, she grabbed two spoons and led Lilly over to a table. She sat Lilly down and then walked to sit down across from her. Sticking one of the spoons into the ice cream, she handed Lilly the other. She took a spoonful of ice cream and took a bite.

Lilly sat in silence. Miley sighed. "Okay, Lilly… I'm completely relieved that you don't have anything serious… But it's very obvious that you're not,.." she took another spoonful of ice cream, trying to encourage Lilly to take a bite. Lilly took the hint and slowly took a bite as well. Miley cheered in her head at her small victory, and then stared at Lilly compassionately in the eye. "Tell me what's going on…please?"

Lilly sighed. She knew she had to talk to Miley about it. There was no way to get around it, even if she wanted to. "I know… I know it could have been a lot worse… I just…" She blinked back tears. "I know it sound dramatic, but I feel like some infectious disease. I feel like, he spread it to me, and I just… I don't want to spread it to you… That's the last thing I want to do…"

Miley smiled softly, and reached over to rest her hand on Lilly's. Lilly raised her head to meet eyes with Miley.

"Lil, that's ridiculous," she said soothingly, "You're not an infectious disease. It's nothing that changes who you are. I love you, and I always will. It will all be okay. The doctor write a prescription, and we'll deal with it as it comes," She stroked Lilly's hand tenderly.

Lilly lowered her head and trembled slightly. "M-Miley," She whispered, "I want… I need… could you hold me?"

Miley glanced over and saw Robbie Ray pull up in his car.

"Of course Lil. Let's go home,"

The two girls stood up. Miley took the ice cream, deciding to put it in the freezer when they got home to save it for later.

They entered the car, and Lilly crawled into Miley's arms and closed her eyes. Robbi Ray gave Miley a fleeting smile from the rear view mirror, and he started the car.

When they got home, Lilly went straight to Miley's room. Miley put the ice cream in the freezer and followed. When she entered her room, she found Lilly sitting on her bed. She walked over to her and lifted Lilly's chin upwards. They gazed into each other's eyes for several moments, and then Miley leaned down to kiss Lilly's lips.

Lilly turned away, ashamed and lowered her head, beginning to tremble in attempt to hold back her tears. Miley sighed, and smiled sadly. She kissed Lilly's cheek and then pulled her into her arms.

Lilly curled into Miley's embrace, and Miley moved onto the bed, laying them both down. She wrapped her arms around Lilly tighter, and kissed her forehead. Lilly sniffed and clung to Miley. "I-I love you,"

Miley rested her head on Lilly's and sighed happily. "I love you too, Lilly," She whispered. "No matter what,"


	17. Chapter 17

**I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors and actresses in the television show. **

Robbie Ray knocked on his daughter's door.

"Come in," He heard Miley call out.

Opening the door, he stepped in. "Hey Miles, Where's Lilly?"

Miley finished running a comb through her hair and set it down on the nightstand. "She's talking with her mom about the appointment,"

Robbie Ray sighed and sat down on Miley's bed. "Well, we need to talk,"

Nodding, Miley nervously sat down next to him on the bed. "Alright"

"I think it's about time," He started apprehensively, "We talked about going back to school,"

Miley swallowed; she knew that this would come up sooner or later. She and Lilly hadn't gone to school in weeks.

"I know it's a tough situation, and none of us really know what to expect, but we can't avoid it forever," He watched Miley carefully for her reaction, "I at least wanted to talk to you and Lilly about it before we move forward with anything,"

Miley nodded anxiously and fidgeted where she sat. "I… I know… It's just… Lilly's finally gotten comfortable around you, Oliver, and Jackson… I just don't know how she'd handle people at school," She looked up at her father wih an expression of unease. "And we don't have all the same classes together… and… I don't know…" She lowered her gaze to the floor.

She felt her father put his arm around her to comfort her. "It's okay, Miles. I just wanted you to know what was coming, and talk about it with Lilly,"

He heard his daughter sigh heavily and leaned to kiss her forehead.

"Okay, Daddy… I will… thanks,"

Robbie Ray gave her a reassuring squeeze before standing up. "Dinner'll be ready in an hour, bud,"

She smiled best she could and nodded. Her father smiled back, and then turned to leave the room.

Miley lay back in her bed, letting her thoughts run wild with her fears and anxieties about returning to school. She didn't know if she could even make it through a class period without being worried sick about Lilly.

"Miley?" She heard Lilly's soft voice call out from the door and sat up.

Lilly walked into the room, and a smile was brought back to Miley's face. "Hey, Lil,"

Lilly crawled onto the bed, and sat next to Miley. "Is everything okay?"

Miley lovingly draped her arms across Lilly and pulled herself closer.

"Yeah…" She sighed, "Sorta,"

Lilly gently slipped her arms around Miley's waist and looked at her questioningly. "What's wrong?" Her voice sounded nervous.

Miley hesitated, and allowed herself a moment to burry her face in Lilly's arms. She inhaled Lilly's sweet aroma, and then prepared herself.

"Daddy came in to talk to me…" She was still hesitant, "About us going back to school,"

She waited uneasily for Lilly's response.

After a long pause, all Lilly could manage out was: "O-oh,"

Miley sighed again and sat up to look at Lilly, "So… what do you think?"

Lilly looked down at the bed comforter and played with her hands nervously.

"I… I… I don't know, Miles…" She looked up anxiously at Miley, "What do you think about it?"

Miley took a deep breath and answered truthfully, "Well, Lil, I'm scared to death. I don't want to be away from you. I'll be worried all the time,"

Lilly sighed and nodded. "I am too… scared, I mean… I haven't been away from you and on my own since I've been here… I don't know how I'd react to having so many people around…" She reached her hands and grasped onto Miley's sleeves timidly. Miley leaned forwards and draped her arms around Lilly.

"I'm not comfortable with it unless you are,"

Lilly hesitated and nodded. "We… we could try it," She sounded unsure of herself, "Just to see how it goes,"

Miley sat back, taking Lilly's hands in hers. "Are you sure?"

Lilly nodded again, "I think I can make it through the parts of the day when you're not there, if I just keep telling myself that I'll be back here with you at the end of the day," She smiled at Miley shyly.

"That's right," Miley squeezed Lilly's hands, and smiled back. She leaned forward to kiss her, but Lilly lowered her head and began to tremble ever so slightly.

Miley sighed. "Lilly…."

Lilly sniffled, trying to hold back her tears.

Miley couldn't take it anymore. She brought her hands up to Lilly's shoulders and pushed her onto her back, gently. She pinned her arms down to her side. Lilly looked up at her in confusion, and Miley saw her chance.

She straddled herself over Lilly and forcefully locked her lips with hers. She felt Lilly tense up beneath her, but then relax and go limp. Lilly's lips loosened and she began to kiss Miley back.

Miley sighed, satisfied, and slowly pulled away. "Lilly," she whispered softly, "I don't care _what_ it means, I never want to not be able to kiss you; gently, passionately, or lovingly…" Miley wiped a tear from her eye, "It just… It just doesn't matter to me. I just want _you_," She began to softly weep.

Lilly sat up and looked at Miley sadly. She reached her hand towards Miley's face and rested it on her cheek. Miley looked up at her vulnerably.

Lilly smiled weakly and then slowly brought her lips to Miley's, giving them a tender kiss. "That's a relief… It would be awkward for me if you didn't,"

Miley laughed and wrapped her arms around Lilly. "You dork,"

"_Your_ dork," Lilly reminded her.

"That's right," Miley smiled, "_My_ dork,"

Not long after, the girls went downstairs for dinner. They helped Robbie Ray set the table. Jackson got home from Rico's, and Heather finished her work on her laptop, and they came into the kitchen to sit down.

After everyone had started eating, Miley cleared her throat timidly. They turned their attention towards her.

"Lilly and I…" She said, glancing over at Lilly, "Have decided that we're going to try to go back to school,"

There was a short silence, as both girls felt all eyes on them. Surprisingly, Jackson was the first to speak.

"Well… I'll be there to watch your back," He seemed embarrassed by saying something so humble.

Robbie Ray and Heather exchanged brief worried glances.

"Well, girls, I'm glad to hear that you're willing to give it a try. We don't want you to push yourselves into a situation you're not ready for…"

"We're willing to try it," Miley reassured him, "After we do, we can figure out where to go from there,"

Heather turned to Lilly, "Lilly, sweetheart, have you thought about how you're going to handle being on your own at time?"

Lilly nodded apprehensively. "Yeah… It might be hard, but I think I can try,"

Heather smiled, trying to hide her uneasiness.

Sitting back in his chair, Robbie Ray sighed. "Well, be sure you let Oliver know you're showing up so he can help if you need him. And try to get to bed early tonight so you're well rested,"

"We know, we know," Miley rolled her eyes. "It may have been a while, but we still remember how things work around here on school days,"

Robbie Ray smiled. "Alright, then," He stood up and picked up his plate, "Jackson! Come make yourself useful and help your father do the dishes!"

Jackson groaned, but stood up as well and started to clear the table. Miley glanced over at Lilly who seemed to be anxiously lost in thought. She reached over and took her hand.

Lilly turned her head when she felt Miley's touch. Miley mouthed words; "Are you okay?"

After a short pause, Lilly nodded hesitantly. Miley stood up, and motioned towards her room. Lilly followed.

"We're going to go upstairs and get ready for tomorrow, Daddy,"

"Alright!" Robbie Ray called over the rushing water in the sink. "Let us know if you need anything!"

Miley led Lilly back into her room, and sat her down on the bed.

"Now, you're sure about all this, right?"

Lilly sighed. "I gotta try…"

"Alright…" Miley bit on her lower lip nervously, "Well, I'll be there not matter what,"

Smiling, Lilly leaned forwards and kissed Miley on the cheek. "I know,"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lilly stood very close to Miley while she got her books out of her locker. She felt like everyone was staring at her, and she didn't like it. She wasn't entirely imagining it; a lot of people were looking at Miley and her, curious of their long absence from school.

Miley noticed how uncomfortable Lilly was, and how she was shrinking to her side. "Lil, it'll be okay," She whispered, giving her hand a squeeze.

Lilly couldn't think of anything to say back, and was torturing herself to think of something. Luckily, their attention was suddenly drawn to Oliver, who was running towards them excitedly. "Lilly! Miley!" When he neared them, he stopped to catch his breath. "Oh, man, it's so great to see you guys here. I've been labeled a loner for _weeks_!"

"Hey, Oliver," Miley smiled, and noticed the guilty expression on Lilly's face. "Sorry about leaving you on your own to fend off all the high school drama…"

Oliver nodded, "Aw, it was no problem. I figured being called a loner made me seem mysteries with the ladies, anyway," He raised his eyebrows, trying to sound studly.

"Yeah, good luck with that," Miley rolled her eyes and turned to shut her locker.

Oliver lowered his voice, "You know, I was more worried than anything… Lil, you think you'll be okay today? Miley and I are gonna be there when we can, but…"

Lilly sighed. She was getting tired of that question, "Well it's too late to change my mind, anyways,"

"Y-yeah, I guess that's true," Oliver still sounded worried.

Miley quickly changed the subject. "We're gonna head to homeroom before there's any unwanted attention,"

"Alright. I'll meet you two outside your homeroom after class so I can walk with Lilly to 2nd period,"

Miley nodded, "And I'll meet you two by the lockers for 3rd,"

Lilly felt like a child. "Okay, okay, we'll figure it out when we get there, let's just go," Flustered, she marched towards homeroom. Miley and Oliver exchanged worried looks and then Miley jogged to catch up with her.

The first three periods until lunch went as smooth as they could. The most troublesome things that they had to deal with were the curious stares, which were really starting to make Lilly feel uncomfortable, and like something was wrong with her.

Once during second period with Oliver, and twice during third with Miley, someone came up to talk to them. Sarah was the one who came up to them during second, and she simply smiled and said how good it was to see Lilly back in school. Lilly was relieved and put at ease by this. She always did like Sarah. She could be a little weird sometimes, but she had a good heart.

During third period Chemistry, Miley and Lilly were working on some homework they needed to catch up on, and one of the boys came to talk to Miley. His idea of talking, seemed much more like flirting.

Lilly felt very uncomfortable with the male presence, and at the same time, angry with the boy for trying to flirt with Miley. Miley of course, waved him away and shot him down. She turned to smile at Lilly lovingly, and then looked back down at the homework.

Not long after, the same boy came back, accompanied by one of his friends. He told Miley that he'd brought his friend so that they were all "matched-up", and this made Lilly cringe in discomfort, and a slightly diluted fear. Miley gave him a mild glare and told him to beat it. Grumbling, he walked away.

Fourth period, all three of them had the same class, and Oliver and Miley practically formed a wall around Lilly, and made sure there wasn't any trouble. Lilly appreciated their actions, but didn't like feeling fretted over. After third, they all went to their lunch table, which Oliver had loyally kept in their name for weeks.

"How are you feeling, Lil?" Miley asked as they sat down.

Lilly sighed, "I'm alright… Just exhausted… You guys have pretty much kept anything even _remotely_ harmful from happening,"

Miley looked at her nervously. "After lunch… I don't see you until 7th period… And Oliver doesn't see you at all,"

"I know…" Lilly fiddled with her hands nervously.

"Heads up…" Oliver muttered under his breath, his gaze cast behind them.

Miley and Lilly turned to see Amber and Ashley walking towards them. "Oh no…" Dread was dripping from Miley's voice as she prepared herself for their arrival.

Something seemed off about them as they approached. They stood in front of Miley and Lilly hesitated.

"What do you two want?" Miley glared defensively.

Amber stirred uncomfortably. "Um… we just wanted you to know… we're sorry about all the times we gave you a hard time,"

All three of their jaws dropped simultaneously. "Wh…What?!"

"L-look, don't make a big deal about it… Just, we're sorry," Amber looked away, uncomfortably, and cleared her throat, demanding that Ashley say something to make her feel less uncomfortable.

"Y-yeah, we're sorry,"

Amber flipped her hair, trying to hide her genuine words, "We'll see you around," She walked away, and Ashley followed close behind.

The three of them were still in complete shock.

"Did we get thrown into some parallel dimension when I wasn't looking?" Oliver asked, turning to both girls.

Miley blinked, "I.. I don't think so…?" She looked over at Lilly, who had lowered her head. "Lil?"

"They… They know," She whispered. She looked up at Miley with tears in he eyes, "Miley, they all know,"

Before Miley could think of anything to say, Lilly shot up and started to run out of the school grounds. "Lilly!" Miley sat up, tossing her books aside. "Oliver, come on!"

Oliver hesitated, not used to being part of the situation, and then came to his senses and they both took off after Lilly.


	18. Chapter 18

**I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors and actresses in the television show.**

"Lilly! Stop!" Miley called breathlessly after Lilly. Lilly was far in front of Oliver and her, heading towards the far end of the beach. "Lilly!"

"Lilly, Come on!" Oliver was beginning to lose momentum and falling behind.

Finally, Lilly came to the end of the beach where the shore turned into a rocky cliff. She fell to her knees into the sand and cried out in anguish. Tears were running down her face.

Miley ran up to her and knelt down beside her. "Lil, hey, hon, calm down," She put her arms around Lilly's shoulders and tried to comfort her.

Lilly's breathing was short and violent. Miley pulled away hesitantly when she saw the expression on Lilly's face. It was twisted with anger and hatred, and at first it scared Miley. She glanced back at Oliver who had stopped several feet behind them and was wheezing, holding his side.

Turning back to Lilly, Miley immediately composed herself and leaned over Lilly, wrapping her arms around her.

"Lilly, calm down… Breathe," Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Lilly clenched her fists in the sand and began to shake. She lowered her head and a muffled whimpered escaped her clenched teeth.

Miley blinked back tears and tightened her arms around Lilly, hoping it would relax her somehow. "Lilly… please…"

She held Lilly close to her chest for a long while. Miley was scared with the unrealistic fear that Lilly would never calm down, but eventually, Lilly's breathing became more ordinary and she loosened up. She grabbed onto Miley's arm and leaned into her.

Miley turned towards Oliver and nodded, letting him know that it was okaty to approach them. Oliver hesitated, and then quietly tip-toed up to them. He sat down several inches away.

"H-hey, Lil, it's okay. Miley and I are here for you… it doesn't matter if everyone knows… It's better to get it out than try to hide it,"

Lilly shot him a glare, and he swallowed hard, backing away.

Miley sighed, "Oliver's right Lilly. We're here for you, so what does it matter if everyone knows?" She felt Lilly shift uneasily in her arms. "I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again… It doesn't change who you are…"

A silence fell over them, and then Lilly spoke. Her voice was trembling.

"B-but h-how?" She paused and sniffled, "How did th-they all find out?"

Miley began rocking her back and forth soothingly in her arms. "I don't know, hon," She whispered quietly.

Oliver lowered his head. "I… I know how…" He sounded scared.

Miley lifted her head to look at him, confused. Lilly didn't move, but her grasp on Miley's shirt tightened.

"How?" Lilly demanded. Her tone implied it wasn't a question; it was an order.

Oliver squirmed uncomfortably. "The... the principal called the students last night… He explained the situation to them an their parents…"

Miley's eyes widened in shock. "Wh-what? Why? How?" She wasn't sure she wanted him to answer.

Oliver lowered his head more. "I… Your dad and Lilly's mom… called and asked him to…"

Miley felt Lilly go limp in her arms… then she sat up slowly. Her face showed no emotion but the tears on her cheeks were still wet.

"Oh… Okay…" She said dryly, "Miley… I'm tired… Can we head home?"

She stood up slowly and started to walk away from the shore. Miley shot up and grabbed her wrist. "W-wait, Lilly, they were just trying to help…"

Miley turned to look at her. Her face still showed no emotion, but the tears had started to run down her cheeks once more. "Miley…" her voice was drab and coarse, "I'm just so tired… I don't want to fight and argue and hurt anymore… can we please just go home?"

Miley was panicking in her head. The way Lilly was acting scared and worried her. She didn't know what to do. She hesitated, unable to look away from Lilly's face and chewed nervously on her bottom lip. "L-Lilly, you know I'm still here for you, right? You still want me here with you, right?" Tears threatened to start pouring from her eyes.

Lilly smiled softly, and reached to grab Miley's hand. "Of course, Miles," She whispered. Miley suddenly noticed just how tired Lilly _did_ look as more tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'd be lost without you… You're all I have,"

Miley's couldn't hold back her tears anymore. She flung her arms around Lilly and held her tightly as she began to shake with bellowing sobs. She finally realized that she was tired too, and that Lilly was all that _she_ really had when she thought about it. She had her family and friends, yes, but none of them knew her completely, and none of let her completely knew them; except Lilly.

Lilly wrapped her arms around Miley's lovingly until she had stopped crying and took a step back, wiping away her tears and sniffling.

"Okay, l-let's go home," She returned her hand into Lilly's.

Lilly wiped a teardrop that had made it's way to Miley's chin and then turned to Oliver. "Ollie, thanks for all your help. We'll call you later,"

Oliver was surprised by the tenderness in her voice. It was like she was a completely different Lilly than the girl who sat crying in the sand several minutes earlier. He nodded and smiled worriedly, watching as the two girls held hands tightly and walked away.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Miley and Lilly walked through the front door. Robbie Ray looked up worriedly as they entered, and then glanced at the clock. "Hey girls, you're home early. How was school?"

The door down the hall creaked open and Heather stepped out, "What? They're home?" Her eyes rested on Miley and Lilly and her expression became one of worry as well. "Welcome back; Miley, Lilly… How was your day,"

"Fine," Lilly stated blankly before Miley could say anything, "I'm going upstairs…"

Miley gave Robbie Ray and Heather a nervous glance, trying to tell them not to press, and then followed Lilly upstairs.

As Miley entered her room, she closed the door behind her. Lilly immediately crawled into Miley's bed and curled up beneath the covers. Miley climbed into the covers after her and stared at Lilly's expressionless face.

"Lil…" She said as she scooted closer in order to feel the warmth of Lilly's body against hers, "I'm really worried about you,"

Lilly struggled to keep her eyes open. "I'm fine, Miles…" She said, finally closing her eyes and pulling Miley into her arms. "I'm just… I'm just so tired," Her voice trembled and Miley saw tears push against her closed eyes, forcing their way out.

Miley frowned and swallowed back tears of her own. "Lilly…" She curled into Lilly's arms. "Never leave me… Physically _or_ mentally, okay?"

"I've told you before, silly," Lilly weakly leaned to kiss her on the forehead. "I won't. Not ever,"

Miley looked up at her, pleadingly. "I mean it Lil… Please don't give up, okay? Stay strong with me,"

Lilly didn't say anything, and the silence broke Miley's heart. Finally, Lilly spoke.

"I… I won't give up when it's with you,"

Miley sighed, half relieved, and half worried. "I guess I can live with that for now," She lifted her head to kiss the bottom of Lilly's chin and then nestled her face back into Lilly's arms.

There was another silence, and Miley nearly fell asleep, but she became aware of Lilly shaking.

"Lil…?" She looked up, concerned. "What's wrong,"

Tears stung Lilly's eyes and she was desperately trying to muffle her tears. "I hate it," She seethed, "I hate being like this,"

Miley sat up and traded positions; she took Lilly into her arms. "Lilly…"

Lilly's seething turned into whimpers. "I want it to go away, Miley. I'm starting to hate everyone, and all they're trying to do is help me," Her shaking became more violent. "I'm tired of feeling ashamed! I'm tired of being treated like a child! I'm tired of feeling like everyone's judging me and holding it against me!"

"Lilly… none of that is true…" Miley began stroking Lilly's hair.

Lilly was in hysterics by now, "I know! That's why I'm so tired!" She inhaled sharply, "The only time I'm okay is when I'm with you… You make me feel like I'm okay and I'm worth something… but even then, those thoughts are still there. What if I smother you? What if you get tired of me?" Lilly's voice was deteriorating further into sobs.

Miley swiftly brought her lips to Lilly's and kissed her, deep and passionately. When she pulled away, she was crying nearly as hard as Lilly. "L-Lilly, please stop saying stuff like that," All the things Miley was hearing came as a shock to her. She had no idea this is what was always in the back of Lilly's mind. "Y-you h-have to believe me wh-when I say I-I'll never get tired of y-you, and I'll a-always l-love you,"

Seeing Miley cry made Lilly stop crying as much, and want to comfort her. "Miley," She whispered softly, pulling her closer, "I know… I'm sorry… I'm just being stupid… I love you… I'll love you always,"

Miley took a deep breath and tried to compose herself, but Lilly stopped her.

"No, Miley, stop it," Miley looked up at Lilly, confused, "Stop trying to look okay… Let yourself cry… It's alright, I'm right here,"

Miley still seemed hesitant, and Lilly sighed.

"Miley… I have you… no matter what… and you have me… you can let it out, and never have to worry about it going anywhere outside of my arms,"

Miley almost immediately collapsed onto Lilly, shaking ferociously with sobs. Everything she had been holding back came out. She felt so stupid. She had been hiding all of this fear and pain from Lilly, when all along, she should have been comfortable with showing it.

She didn't need to pretend to be strong for Lilly's sake. She just needed to be there for Lilly. She realized that, more than anything, she needed Lilly to feel safe.

As Miley's sobs soon eventually subsided, there was an interrupting knock on the door. Miley sat up, dreading that the last two people that Lilly wanted to see at that moment would step through the door. Unfortunately, her fears came through and Robbie Ray and Heather stepped through the door.

"Lilly, sweetheart, I think we should talk," Her mother neared the bed and reached her hand towards Lilly's.

"Get out!" Lilly hissed, jerking her hand away "I don't want to talk to you!"

Heather shrank back timidly and looked away. Miley placed her hand on Lilly's forearm, trying to calm her down.

Robbie Ray put his arm on Heather's shoulder and stepped in front of her.

"Now wait just a second here, Lilly," Lilly shot him a glare, and for a second, he was thrown off. He recovered quickly and continued, "That's no way to talk to your mother. We're trying to help you,"

Lilly's glare remained adamant. "I don't want your help!" She spat, "Not if it means walking around behind my back and treating me like a child!"

A silence fell over the room. Both the adult looked guilt ridden, but didn't admit to being wrong.

"Lilly… We've called Lisa and arranged an emergency appointment," Robbie Ray bravely moved forward and grabbed Lilly tightly by the wrist.

"Let go!" Lilly screamed, trying to break free, "I'm not going!"

Robbie Ray refused to back down and put his arms around her, lifting her out of bed. "Lilly, this is not something we're negotiating! We're doing this because we love you!"

"Let me go!" Lilly's voice cracked as tears of frustration ran down her face.

Miley sat up out of bed and ran to her father's side. She was fighting back tears of her own. "D-Daddy, please; just hold on,"

Robbie Ray's adrenaline was already pumped, and he pulled Lilly up off the floor and started walking towards the door. Heather had slid into the chair that sat to the side f the room and looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"Miley, you can stay or go!" Robbie Ray called as he exited the room, carrying the flailing Lilly in his arms.

Miley stood in her room, bewildered, and unable to think clearly. Then her mind snapped back to the situation, and she ran out the door after her father.


	19. Chapter 19

**I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors and actresses in the television show**.

Lilly reluctantly sat in Lisa's office; her arms crossed, and a scowl plastered on her face. She refused to look up and make eye contact with Lisa or say anything. The door opened, and Miley stepped in. Robbie Ray had held her back in the waiting room to talk with her.

_"Miles… I'm sorry this happened the way it happened… We're just trying to help Lilly. We don't want her getting worse," Robbie Ray sat her down in a seat and held her by the hands. _

_Miley stared at him, trying to look angry. "So you physically __**force**__ her? Daddy, do you know how scary that might have been to her?" She blinked back tears as the memory of seeing Lilly dragged out of her room by the hair flashed through her mind._

_Robbie Ray lowered his head, ashamed, and said nothing. Miley saw tears glaze his sad eyes, and felt bad for the harshness of her tone. "I'm… going to go in to be with Lilly," She said softly._

When Lilly saw Miley enter the room, her expression changed. She sat up and looked towards her anxiously. Miley quickly walked over to Lilly, and sat down next to her on the couch. Immediately, she took Lilly's hand in hers and held it tightly.

"Good to see you, Miley," Lisa smiled.

Miley nodded, "You too,"

Lisa cleared her throat, "Perhaps you could tell me what brings you two here today?"

Miley glanced towards Lilly, who had resumed her scowl, but had lovingly started stroking Miley's hand. "Um… There was kind of… falling out… between Lilly and my Daddy…"

"What brought this on?" Lisa directed the question towards Lilly.

Again, glancing over at Lilly, Miley realized that she wasn't going to be talking anytime soon. She sighed and answered. "We decided to go to school… to give it a try at least. It went pretty well until lunch. We realized everyone knew about what had happened to Lilly… and that the principal had called to notify the students the night before… and, well, the way he found out… was because my Daddy ad Ms. Truscott decided to call and tell him," Miley was too tired to explain every detail so she paraphrased.

"I see…" Lisa nodded, and then turned to Lilly. "And Lilly, this enraged you?"

Lilly still refused to make eye contact.

Lisa sighed. "Well, one of the long term affects of RTS is anger towards friend and family… So I bet you're wondering to yourself just why you're so mad anyways, Lilly,"

Lilly chewed on her bottom lip, but still didn't move. Tears threatened to pour from her eyes. This was an indicator to Lisa that she had hit a vein.

"Well, Lilly, that's perfectly understandable, and it's something that we can work on," Lisa glanced over at Miley, "What does strike me as odd, is that you don't seem to show any signs of anger toward Miley. In fact, your relationship doesn't seem to be showing any falter whatsoever. In many cases, friendships and relationships greatly suffer because of RTS,"

Lilly spoke up for the first time. "Miley's different!" She took a breath to calm down, and squeezed Miley's hand. "Miley's everything to me,"

Lisa smiled. "Well it certainly seems so," She turned to Miley, "Miley, what do you think about how both of your parents dealt with this?"

Miley hesitated, giving it thought, and then answered shyly. "I think, at the very least, they could have talked with Lilly and me about their plans or thoughts of telling the school. I'm upset with them for going behind our backs, but I know they did it with the best intentions, and because they love us… They're just having trouble knowing what to do,"

Lisa nodded. "Is that how you feel, Lilly?"

There was a slight pause, and then Lilly's answered.

"No…."

Miley gazed worriedly at Lilly, and Lisa continued. "How do you feel about it?"

"I…" Lilly looked away, flustered. "I'm tired of being treated like a child. I'm tired of everyone trying to protect me, and treat me like I can't handle anything,"

"Do you feel like you're in a place where you can handle everything by yourself?"

"Not by myself…" Lilly said after another flustered silence. "But I can with Miley,"

Lisa sat back thoughtfully and looked at each girl. "Lilly, do you think you're depending too much on Miley to be okay?"

Both Miley and Lilly stared at Lisa defensively. Miley was the first to retort.

"S-so what if she depends on me? I want her to! She can depend on me for anything and everything! Always!"

Lilly nodded meekly in agreement.

"I don't mean that in an accusing way, I'm just asking you to consider the fact that, there may be some scars that Miley can't help Lilly overcome," She noticed both girls stir uncomfortably. "Despite the fact that Miley will always be there for you, Lilly, I think there may be some scars that you're building a wall in front of, just for Miley's sake,"

Lilly frowned and looked away again. Miley looked nervous after Lisa had said this.

"Lilly, how much have you thought about your father since this whole ordeal?" Lilly lifted her head and stared at Lisa in shock.

"Wh-what's that got to do with anything?"

Lisa softened the tone of her voice. "Your feelings towards you father. After what happened, what do you feel about your father?"

"I hate him," Lilly spat, "How could I not?"

"Is that the only emotion you feel towards him?"

Lilly hesitated before answering. "No… I… feel sorry for him," Miley tenderly linked Lilly's arm in hers. "Just before he killed himself… He said he was sorry for being such a fuck up…"

Lisa nodded, and tried to get Lilly to expand on the thought. "Yes, you mentioned that before. Is that all he said?"

Another long hesitation. "No… I told you… that he said that… it ran in the family…"

"So, Lilly, who are you angry with?"

Lilly shifted uncomfortably and fought back tears. Miley stroked her arm soothingly.

"Myself…"

"And why?" Lisa nodded again, empathetically.

"Because…" Lilly's tears were getting the best of her, "I'm fucking everything up. Everyone has to walk on eggshells around me… and all their attention has to be focused on me… I just wish that they would stop caring and let me deal with it on my own…"

"Is that what you really want?"

Lilly sighed heavily, and closed her eyes as a last futile attempt to stop the tears. "No…" She tightened her grasp on Miley's arm. "I couldn't do it without them… and I couldn't do it without Miley… I don't want Miley to be on her own, taking care of me… It's putting too much on her… I feel like such a burden," Miley squeezed Lilly's arm back, and rested her head on Lilly's trembling shoulder.

"Lilly, do you realize that no one will leave you, unless you make them? They're all here because they love you,"

Tears began to roll down Lilly's cheeks, "…I know…"

"Do you think you deserve to be alone?"

"I don't know… maybe… But I can't imagine living without Miley… I can't bear the thought of losing her…"

Miley was now blinking back tears of her own. "L-Lilly…"

Lisa sat back and sighed. "Lilly… do you acknowledge the pain you've gone through? Do you confront the painful memories?"

"I try not to…"

"If you suppress your feelings of pain, it's very possible that they will come out in different ways. Anger, resentment, and so forth,"

Lilly lowered her head. She had nothing left to say.

Miley spoke up, timidly. "Lilly, you can't keep blaming yourself…"

"You have to realize that you're not your father, and what happened wasn't your fault. You don't have to repeat his mistakes," Lisa's voice was gentle and soothing.

A single choking sob escaped Lilly's throat and she leaned forward, breaking her link with Miley, and doubling over. "S-stop!" She choked, "I c-can't handle all this! I can't handle everyone being so nice to me!"

Miley reached over to put her hands on Lilly who had started hyperventilating through her sobs. "Lilly… It's okay, I'm here for you,"

Lilly flinched when she felt Miley's hands on her. "I just want everything to go away, Miley! I just want everyone to stop caring! I can't take it! I don't want to think about it! I don't want to think about him!" Her screams rang loud throughout the room. Robbie Ray rushed into the room.

"Is everything okay?" He seemed to be panicking.

Lisa and Miley were huddled around Lilly, trying to get her to calm down. Robbie Ray rushed over to help. Lilly jerked away when he set his hands on her.

"D-don't fucking touch me!" She seethed and glared at him with angry eyes.

Robbie Ray backed away, intimidated.

"Lilly, calm down, please," Miley pleaded through her tears.

Lilly grasped onto Miley's extended hand. "M-Miley…!"

Tears blinded Lilly's vision. She couldn't make out Miley, and she began to panic. Suddenly, she saw her father over her, smiling his sad smile as he fumbled to unbuckled his pants.

"N-No!" Lilly screamed, curling into a ball. Her scars on her abdomen began to burn and she squirmed in pain. Miley reached to hold Lilly, tears flowing down her cheeks. All that Lilly could feel was her father's rough hands grabbing hold of her and she desperately tried to get away.

Miley was taken aback by Lilly's attempts to get away from her. It was something that she had never experienced, and it frightened her.

"Lilly!" Lisa called as she tried to restrain her, "Lilly, breathe. It will pass, just breathe!"

Miley stumbled backwards, and her father caught her. "Miles, it'll be okay. She doesn't know what's going on," He soothingly rubbed Miley's arm.

"D-Daddy," Miley whispered, overcome with grief. "D-Daddy, help her… I-I can't do anything…"

Robbie Ray frowned and held his daughter tightly in his arms. Miley curled her arms to her ears, trying to block out the sound of Lilly's distressed cries. They were too painful for her to hear.

Eventually, Lilly's breathing became lighter and her sobs subsided into small whimpers. "M-Miley,"

Miley rushed out of her father's arms and ran to Lilly. She pulled Lilly into her arms and held her tightly.

"L-Lilly… I'm so sorry… I couldn't do anything…"

Lilly clung on tightly to Miley. "I'm sorry," She whimpered, over and over. "I'm sorry,"

Lisa and Robbie Ray exchanged worried glances, and watched the two girls cradle each other back and forth, filling the room with their quiet sobs.

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**A/N: So, this is slightly more depressing than I originally intended it to be, with Lilly confronting her feelings of her father. My dog that the story "Pet Names" was based off of was kicked by a cow and died yesterday, so this chapter may have caught onto some of my venting. **


	20. Chapter 20

**I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors and actresses in the television show. **

The car ride back to the house was once again, awkwardly silent. Miley sat close to Lilly, hugging Lilly's arm tightly. She was still recovering from the scene that had occurred in Lisa's office.

Lilly felt her trembling ever so slightly and sighed. She was ashamed of how she had acted, and how she had no power of her own actions. She resolved to do anything possible to make Miley feel better; She just hadn't figured out what it was that she was going to do.

Robbie Ray glanced at the girls through the rear view mirror, but Lilly caught him and reflexively glared a 'Keep your eyes on the road, pal,' glare. He quickly obeyed her glare.

When they pulled into the driveway, Robbie Ray parked the car and took the key out of the engine. He glanced back at the girls. Miley had fallen asleep, and Lilly was reaching over to unbuckle her seatbelt. Miley seemed like she was out like a rock and wouldn't be waking up anytime soon.

"You need any help getting her up to her room?" Robbie Ray offered.

Lilly glared at him as she reached her arms around Miley and didn't answer. She pulled Miley into her arm and lifted her out of the car.

Robbie Ray watch as Lilly struggled to carry Miley to the house. She was still small and frail, and her carrying Miley looked difficult for her. However, she managed to get to the door, and walk inside. Miley had unconsciously wrapped her arms around Lilly's neck and rested her head on Lilly's shoulder.

He sighed as Lilly slowly disappeared up the stairs, carrying Miley in her arms. After shutting the car door, he walked inside.

Heather timidly stepped out from the hall. "H-How'd it go?" her mascara was smeared onto her cheeks, and her eyes were puffy and red from crying.

Robbie Ray sighed and shook his head. "Not good… I think thing's are worse. She won't even talk to me and if I so much as look at Miley or her she glares at me,"

Heather stirred silently. "I was afraid of that," Her voice was tired, "I've already made all the phone calls… I just don't know how to convince her to go… and it looks like we wont be able to get Miley away from her long enough to talk to her about it either,"

Robby Ray collapsed onto the couch. "I can't…" He said, his voice near shaking, "I can't force her anywhere again…"

"I know," Heather walked over and lightly placed her hand on his shoulder. "I can't bear seeing both of you go through that… We're just going to try to talk to her,"

"I guess so…" Robbie Ray nodded tiredly.

Upstairs, Miley's eyes fluttered open as Lilly was laying her down on the bed.

"Lilly?" She asked sleepily, looking around, "Did you carry me all the way up here?"

Lilly nodded, trying to appear as if she wasn't out of breath.

"I'm sorry…" Miley crawled over to her, and tugged on her sleeve, beckoning her to lie down.

Lilly smiled as she thankfully allowed herself to be lowered onto the bed. "No problem, Miles. I didn't want to wake you up. You looked so cute and peaceful,"

Miley snuggled close to her and draped her arm over Lilly, hugging her closer and closing her eye. A long silence formed between them, and they both could feel the unresolved tension in the room. Eventually, Miley's eyes fluttered open and she sighed.

"Lilly?"

Lilly looked down at Miley. "What is it?"

"I don't know what to do anymore," She was starting to cry again.

"Miley…" Lilly didn't want Miley to cry anymore, "Everything's going to be okay,"

Miley sniffed. "Somehow… when you say it like that… I just get sad. It feels like you're really close to giving up…"

Lilly smiled sadly, unsure of what to say. She kind of had felt like she had given up on everything except Miley. "Miley… no matter what, I'll never give up on you, okay?"

"That's not good enough…" Miley clung tightly to Lilly. "I want you, Lilly. I want the you that loves the things you love,"

"I love you," Lilly stated simply.

Miley smiled, "I know you do… I love you too… I just… I can't take seeing you give up everything else you used to love,"

A silence followed, and then Lilly sighed. "We'll get through this, Miles," she didn't know if she really thought that, but she said it for Miley. "We will,"

"I…" Miley buried her face in Lilly's chest and wept softly. "I just don't know what to do anymore…"

Lilly wrapped her arms around Miley and gazed down at her sadly. Seeing Miley like this made her heart ache. Miley had been like this for too long, and hadn't been able to love the things she loved either.

Lilly was ready to change that; whatever it took.

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Some time later, there was a knock at the door. Miley and Lilly exchanged glances, and then Miley stood up and walked towards it. When she opened it, there was no one there, but a tray with two plates of dinner sat in front of her. She sighed, and picked it up. Lilly grimaced guiltily, realizing Robbie Ray had finally gotten the message to leave her alone.

The girls finished their dinner and spent the rest of the evening holed up in Miley's room. Neither one of them felt like they had the energy to face anyone that night.

Lilly sat on the bed, watching Miley softly pluck the strings of her guitar. The melody that Miley was playing was sad and made Lilly's heart hurt. She sighed, and walked over to Miley.

Miley stopped playing and looked up at Lilly. There were traces of tears in her deep blue eyes. Lilly held Miley's gaze for several long moments, and then lifted her hand to Miley's cheek. She caressed it softly and looked a Miley loving.

A tear fell from Miley's eyes and slowly trickled of Lilly's hand. Lilly wiped it away and leaned down to kiss the wet trail it had left. When she pulled away and stood back up, Miley blinked back her tears and leaned her head against Lilly's stomach, grasping onto the tail of Lilly's shirt with hands.

Lilly smiled sadly as she felt Miley shake in her attempts to hold back her sobs. She gently stroked Miley's hair and pulled her closer.

"Miles, it will be alright," She whispered softly. "I promise,"

Miley leaned farther into Lilly and choked out a sob, which broke down the barrier she had been desperately trying to hold back. She began to cry.

Lilly wrapped her arms around Miley so that she could fully embrace her. Miley continued to shed tears for some time. Lilly eventually leaned down and lifted Miley into her arms and laid her down in her bed. Miley gazed at Lilly helplessly; expressing that she needed Lilly close to her.

Lilly smiled softly and crawled into the bed next to her. She wrapped her arms around her from behind, cradling Miley in her arms. When Miley still hadn't stopped crying, Lilly began to hum. At first, it wasn't any specific song, but it soon turned into 'No Need To Argue'. Lilly didn't know if Miley even knew the song, and she it wasn't like she listened to it a lot, but it was the only song that she could think of that seemed like it would be soothing.

After humming it a while, Miley's weeping became softer, and she seemed to relax in Lilly's arms. Lilly was afraid to stop humming, so she continued to do so until her throat was starting to hurt. Finally she stopped, and listened. Miley was breathing softly, as if she was asleep.

"Miley?" Lilly's voice was barely a whisper. She waited, but Miley didn't respond.

Slowly, she sat up and got out of the bed. She pulled the comforter over Miley and stood over her, gazing at her sleeping face. Miley looked tired, but was sleeping peacefully, softly snoring with her mouth slightly ajar.

Lilly leaned down to kiss her bottom lip softly, making sure not to wake her.

"I love you, Miley," She whispered. After gazing down at Miley for another long moment, she turned to quietly walk out of the room.

Lilly quietly shut the door to Miley's room and walked out into the hall. The lights were off and the house was dark. Lilly hadn't checked what time it was, but she knew that it had to be past the time when everyone went to sleep.

She did she a light dimly leading down the stairs from the kitchen, so she knew some one was still up. She took a deep breath, and then heading towards the stairs.

When Lilly stepped into the kitchen, she saw Robbie Ray and Heather sitting opposite each other at the table. They both looked up as they heard someone nearing, and their faces quickly took on the expression of shock.

"L-Lilly?" Heather blinked, trying to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.

Lilly walked closer, but stopped a few feet away. She looked down at her feet and stirred nervously. Robbie Ray was hesitant, unsure if she was going to say anything. He didn't want to upset her further, so he glanced over at Heather anxiously.

Heather nodded, but she didn't look very confident. "Lilly, Sweetheart, is there something you want to say?" Her voice was very soft and it almost trembled. "You know you can talk to us about anything,"

Lilly hesitated, and then took a deep breath, releasing it with a heavy sigh. Robbie Ray and Heather both anxiously awaited her response.

"I need…" Lilly started, "I need help. I need help so I can be okay, so Miley that can be okay,"

A silence fell upon the room.

"B-but I don't want to go to some nut job psychology place," Lilly continued, feeling her face flush, "I want to do it on my own, and I don't want to be away from Miley,"

Another intense silence followed, and Lilly lowered her head. She could hear her heart beating in her chest. Finally, Heather sighed and sat back in her chair.

"Well, Lillian, that doesn't give us a whole lot to work with…"

Lilly felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. She was regretting ever come downstairs. To her surprise, her mother continued.

"But there is something we can do… We were thinking about bringing it up with you, but it's been a little hard to talk to you lately,"

Lilly glanced up at her mother hopefully. "What? What is it?"

Heather glanced at Robbie Ray, who nodded at her. "Well… Your father has… a sister," Lilly blinked, not sure of where her mother was going with this. "And a brother… Your aunt lives in Torrance, and your uncle… he lives in Carson,"

Lilly hesitated, still not getting the picture. "Okay…"

Heather sighed, realizing she would have to spell it out to her. "We were thinking that you could meet them… and get acquainted,"

"Oh," Lilly stated plainly. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. A deep fear had started to rise from inside of her and both adults noticed it. "Is that… a good idea?"

"Well, to tell you the truth, I don't know. It's been years since I've had contact with either of them…" Heather furrowed her brow, looking uncertain, "I do know that your aunt is much better off than your uncle in terms of lifestyle, based on the last time I saw them… It's your choice, Lilly. We don't want to force you,"

A longer silence passed, as Lilly tried to conquer her fears and think straight. Her thoughts went directly to Miley, and seeing her smile again.

"I'll do it," Lilly finally said, trying not to tremble with fear,"I want to leave tomorrow,"

A weight seemed to be lifted from Robbie Ray and Heather's shoulders, though there was a faint sense of anxiety that had been created.

"I'm going too," A voice stated loudly from the stairs. Everyone's head turned to see Miley standing on the staircase. "I'm going wherever Lilly goes,"


	21. Chapter 21

**I do not on Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors or actresses in the television show. **

Miley had grown accustomed to watching Lilly gaze out the car window by now; it was practically how all their recent car rides went. Just as she always did, Miley sat closely beside her and linked her arm in Lilly's.

The girls had gotten up early. Well, Miley had. Lilly had already been awake and had begun softly stroking Miley's side.

_Miley had awoken, huddled closely to Lilly under the covers. Lilly's hand was rested beneath Miley's shirt, in the curve of her hips. She loved the feeling of Miley's soft, warm skin. As she stared at the deeply slumbering face beside her, she smiled softly to herself and began to gently caress up and down Miley's torso._

_When Miley's eyes fluttered open, she gladly greeted Lilly's sign of affection. She sighed happily and yawned; her lips sleepily found their way forwards to rest on Lilly's. _

"Good morning, Lil," Miley inched closer to Lilly; her voice was rough with sleep, but her smile was soft and calm.

_Lilly's smile remained painted on her lips. "Good morning, Miles,"_

Lilly's voice had sounded rough as well, but it sounded more like that of exhaustion. This is what led Miley to suspect that Lilly was unable to sleep. She watched now as Lilly struggled to keep her drooping eyelids open.

In attempts to entice Lilly into sleep, Miley started soothingly running her fingertips up Lilly's arm. She noticed the hairs on Lilly's arm rise up and smiled. Lilly's eyes almost instantly closed and she let her body slump away from the window and more towards Miley.

Miley adjusted Lilly so that she was lying comfortably in her arms. When she heard Lilly sigh deeply and contently, Miley smiled and wrapped her arms around her snuggly. When she was certain Lilly was asleep, she lifted her head up.

"Daddy, how much further?" She kept her voice below a casual auditory level so as not to wake Lilly.

"Not long now," Robbie Ray answered from the driver's seat after glancing to the passenger seat at Heather. "Twenty- maybe thirty minutes,"

Miley sighed, "Okay…" She turned her gaze to Lilly who was still breathing softly in her arms. Part of her was eager for them to arrive at their destination, but it was easily overpowered by her wish for Lilly to get some sleep. She sighed again and then rested her cheek against the top of Lilly's head.

She too, allowed her eyes to close as she breathed in the scent of Lilly's hair. Sure, it smelled like the same shampoo she used, but it also smelled like Lilly, and it was one of the most comforting, familiar aroma's Miley knew.

Miley was much too restless to sleep, but shutting her eye's permitted her a clearer focus. She took this time to pull together her thoughts.

They were driving to Torrance to meet Lilly's Aunt Cheyenne; her father's sister. Lilly had remained reticent about her feelings on the matter, though she had shared that she was determined to do it. Still, Miley could tell how unsure Lilly was.

_"Does… Does she know we're coming?" Lilly had asked her mother. She had tried her best to sound confidant. _

_Heather nodded comfortingly and stroked Lilly's hand from across the table. "Ye, sweetheart, we called her on Tuesday. We told her we'd be driving down tomorrow morning,"_

_Lilly furrowed her brow and looked down, seemingly flustered. "Does she even… want to meet us?" _

_Miley had reached under the table and rested her hand on Lilly's leg in attempts to put her at ease. _

_"Yes," Heather nodded again, "We had a long discussion. I had told her about what had happened with your father after it happened, and she told us she would do anything she could to help. When I called her last Tuesday, I filled her in on what had been happening, and asked if she would be willing to meet with you"_

_Lilly looked up at her mother anxiously. "And she said…?"_

_"She said she would be happy to, but only if you were the one who wanted too,,"_

_Lilly sighed heavily and chewed on his bottom lip. Miley gave Lilly's thigh a gentle reassuring squeeze. _

_Everyone in the room waited for Lilly's response, and Lilly felt their eyes on her. _

_"It's up to you, Lilly," Heather softened her voice._

_The silence dragged on for another long moment. Lilly finally slumped down in her chair with yet another sigh. She rested her hand upon Miley's. _

_"Yes. I want to," _

_Miley had felt Lilly's hand twitch as she spoke. She wasn't certain what the reason was, but she knew that Lilly was pushing herself to do this. She wasn't sure if it was good or bad. _

Miley didn't even realize she had fallen asleep until she felt the car come to a slow halt. The sound of the engine died away and she heard the driver and front passenger door open.

"Miles," Her father whispered softly as he opened her door. "We're here, bud,"

Miley inhaled deeply as her eyes fluttered open and then released her breath in a heavy exhale. She felt Lilly stir in her arms and mutter a bewildered groan.

As Lilly sat up out of Miley's arms and rubbed her eyes sleepily, Miley stretched out her arms and turned to glance at Lilly.

Lilly gazed out the car window at the curb where Robbie Ray had parked the car. Magnolia tree's lined the sidewalks and provided shade in front of each house. Each house had the address number painted on the curb in front of it.

The houses on the street were all one-story houses with concrete stairs leading up to the doorway from the sidewalk. A fairly sized patch of lawn accompanied the front of each yard. The rooftops were layered with old-fashioned shingles. It was a nice neighborhood, but nowhere near fancy or expensive. It came off as a very simple place to live.

Lilly swallowed nervously. Miley stood up out of the car and walked around to Lilly's side of the car and opened her door. She extended her hand warmly and smiled sweetly down at the anxious Lilly.

Lilly turned her gaze up at Miley and chewed on her bottom lip. She hesitated and then reached forwards to accept Miley's offering hand. Miley helped her out of the car.

As Lilly stood up out of the car, she staggered; simply standing up straight proved to be difficult in her nervous state. She felt Miley's hand grasped her by the arm to steady her.

Dazed, Lilly looked up at Miley, who was staring back at her with a panicked expression on her face.

"Lil, you alright?" Miley tightened her grip around Lilly's arm nervously.

Lilly took a few moments to compose herself. She was sure if it was nerves, but she was very lightheaded and felt sick. She wrote it off, deciding it was from standing up from the car too quickly.

"Yeah, Miles, I'm fine," Lilly smiled weakly at her, but Miley was far from convinced.

Clearing her throat, Lilly looked up at Robbie Ray and Heather, whose eyes were watching her carefully. They were standing in front of a house that was several yards away from where the car was parked.

"Is that it?" Lilly asked. She already knew the answer.

Heather smiled sadly, seeing her daughter start to tremble. "Yes, sweetheart… This is it,"

"Alright," Lilly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. On her exhale, she opened her eyes and lifted her gaze to the house. It looked no different from the other houses. The brown shingles and the faded paint job of a seemingly random primary color.

Miley slid her hand down Lilly's arm and laced her finger's with Lilly's. Lilly felt the warmth from Miley's hand and pushed herself to take a step forward.

Time seemed to slow as Lilly approached the steps to the house. She wasn't sure if she wanted time to stop, or speed up. Her mind was blank and couldn't process what her body was doing. Still, she felt herself walk forward; one stumbling step at a time.

Before she knew it, she was at the front door. Miley slipped her fingers out of Lilly's and linked arms with her. She squeezed Lilly's arm to encourage her.

Lilly swallowed and lifted her hand to knock on the door. She ended up knocking much harder than she anticipated and her knuckles nearly turned white.

After an excruciating painful silence that seemed to drag on, the sound of anxious approaching footsteps drew nearer.

Lilly held her breath, and seconds later, the door swung open to reveal a tall, beautiful blonde woman with gentle blue eyes and an anxious smile.

Miley had to do a double take. She had thought Lilly resembled her mother a lot, but the woman standing in front of them was practically an older version of Lilly. It was a completely inappropriate time to be aroused, so Miley did her beset to put her newly sprouted fantasies of an older Lilly in the years to come in the back of her mind.

Miley watched as the smile on the woman's face slowly faded. Her eyes were locked with Lilly's. Miley realized that Lilly hadn't moved or spoken since the door had opened. She glanced over at Lilly, and saw an expression of bewilderment upon her face. Streams of tears silently trickled down Lilly's cheeks.

"Hello…" The woman in the door greeted softly. "Lilly… I'm your aunt, Cheyenne…" It seemed like she was struggling to hold back tears of her own. She reached forward and pulled Lilly into her arms.

Miley felt Lilly's arm leave hers, and watched as Lilly was enveloped into a tight embrace.

Lilly began to tremble again, and she weakly brought her hand up, resting them limply around her aunt's back.

Her aunt Cheyenne spoke again; This time, in tears. "It's so good to meet you,"

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Lilly and Miley sat on the couch inside the house. Robby Ray and Heather each sat in an armchair across from them. Cheyenne had pulled up a chair from the kitchen and sat between the two adults.

Lilly's eyes wandered around the room. There weren't many photographs or paintings on the wall. The house didn't seem very lived in, but it did give the feeling of loneliness.

As Lilly's eyes finished studying the room, they rested on Cheyenne. Cheyenne smiled briefly at her, but it seemed more sad than anything else. Lilly searched for Miley's hand, and held it tight.

Cheyenne cleared her throat awkwardly. "Lilly, I know this must be hard for you… I've been talking with your mother," She glanced over at Heather, who nodded in return, "And she'd told me everything that's happened up until now… We both thought it would be a good idea for you to meet… your father's side of the family, and get to know the whole story beside our family,"

Lilly nodded, but was unable to meet her aunt's gaze.

A silence passed in the room. Realizing Lilly had nothing to say, Cheyenne sighed and uncrossed her legs.

"Paul, Randy and I grew up with alcoholic parents…" Cheyenne seemed to be having difficulty getting her words out. "Our parents would stay out for days; weeks even. I was only 6 at the time, so I don't have a lot of memory about it, but I do remember that Paul took care of Randy and me. He was the oldest and I think he felt obligated to take care of his little brother and sister,"

Heather smiled sadly and sniffed back a tear. Cheyenne continued, tears welling up in her own eyes.

"Sometimes, our father would come home drunk. Randy would have left a mess somewhere, or I would be crying, and our father would lash out and come after us. Paul would take the beatings so that neither of us would get hurt. He'd back talk and provoke our father so that his attention would be on him. When he turned 18, he went and joined the Army, but not before taking us and dropping us off at a friend of the family's. They raised us after that, and we never heard from our parents again,"

Miley felt Lilly's grip on her hand tighten. She glanced over, expecting to see Lilly crying. Instead, she saw Lilly shifting her jaw and holding back what looked like anger.

"When he got back, he was a different person… He did nothing but drink. He yelled and screamed at us. Randy fought with him all the time… It…" Cheyenne was desperately trying to hold herself together. "It broke my heart… Paul was gone…"

Heather cleared her throat, seeing how Cheyenne was currently incapacitated.

"You're father and I dated through high school. Before he left for the Army, he proposed, and I said yes. When he got back, we were married. We were only married for four years. He had just changed too much… I tried to make it work. I tried as hard as I could, but there were some things he just couldn't let go of… He just wouldn't try…Not for me. Not for himself. Not for his three year old daughter…" Heather looked down at the ground. "I think he was aware of that… and hated himself for it… And when he hated himself, he drank. And when he wasn't drinking, he hated himself because of what he would do when he was drunk… It was an endless cycle. Eventually, he was drunk all of the time. He would hit me and force me to do things… I was so scared he would come after you… but I stayed with him because I kept hoping he could change. Then… he did go after you," Heather, too, was overcome by tears.

Robbie Ray frowned sadly and reached over to pat Heather on the shoulder in attempts to console her.

"I-I'm so sorry, Lilly…"

Lilly tried to speak without sounding agitated. "Mom… It's not you're fault… I don't blame you…" She sighed, after a long silence. "So… what…? Am I supposed to feel sorry for him?"

Miley felt Lilly's entire body tremble with rage. The rising tone of her voice scared Miley.

"'You had a hard life, so it's okay that you beat your wife and rape your daughter while you cut her up like a thanksgiving turkey,'" Lilly cried out, mockingly. She couldn't take it any more. She shot up and shook with anger, tears streaming down her face. "Life's hard! That doesn't mean you can feel sorry for yourself and hurt everyone around you!" Tears were streaming from her eyes.

Miley watched everyone's reaction and cringed at how sad and ashamed they looked. She stood up and took Lilly's arm back into hers.

"I think it's been a very emotional day… Is it alright if Lilly and I go rest for a while? She just needs time to absorb all of this,"

Cheyenne tried her best to smile. "Of course… There's a room set up for you girl down the hall… last door on the left,"

"Thank you," Miley nodded and started to pull Lilly away.

Lilly frowned, still angry. She hated the fact that Miley had to speak for her… but she knew Miley was right. Miley was always right when it came to what she needed. She allowed Miley to lead her out of the room and down the hall.


	22. Chapter 22

**I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors and actresses in the television show. **

When Miley and Lilly entered the room at the end of the hall, Miley turned around and placed her hands on Lilly's shoulder. Lilly was still fuming, but obediently sat when Miley led her to the edge of the bed.

They hadn't bothered to turn the lights on, but the room was well lit enough from the sunlight outside that was peaking through the drapes.

Miley kept her hands firm, and her gaze steady.

"Lilly, I know you're upset, but I think you may have hurt a few feelings back there," Miley's voice was just above a whisper.

Lilly frowned and looked away from Miley's gaze. "I-I didn't mean to…"

Miley sighed and sat down next to Lilly on the bed.

"What's going on? Talk to me,"

Lilly sighed too and furrowed her brow, attempting to sort out her emotions.

"It's just… I had this stupid idea that, if I came here, everything would fit into place and things would get better," As Lilly spoke, she desperately struggled to keep her tears in. She knew this was pointless, because Miley could read her well. "I know it was stupid to think that, but… it's just… hearing everyone talk about my dad like he was some unfortunate martyr… it's like they pitied him, Miles…"

Miley could see how wound up Lilly was and it was obvious that her mind was going a mile a minute. She waited for Lilly to finish her thought.

Finally, Lilly sighed, aggravated and lowered herself backwards, onto the bed. "I'm just.. The last thing I want is for people to pity me, you know? I don't want to be "beyond help". I want to have a fighting chance. I feel like, if you're being pitied, people have given up on the idea that maybe you'll make a comeback,"

Lilly finished much more calm and thoughtful than she had been a few moments before. As Miley heard Lilly say such positive things, like that she wanted a fighting chance, (and no one knew better than Miley that Lilly was a fighter!) made her nearly burst into tears of joy and relief. It sounded like the fiesty Lilly's she knew and loved.

"Besides." Lilly continued as she stared up at the ceiling thoughtfully, "I'm not too big on the whole idea of wallowing in self pity for the rest of my life… sure it hurts… but it doesn't have to be everything…"

She turned to smile at Miley softly. "And I always got you on my side,"

Miley was unable to suppress her delight any longer. Her joyful tears left her eyes and she threw her arms around Lilly, taking her lips into her own. She savored the long warm kiss, even as her salty tears reached their lips. She felt Lilly's arms wrap around her and pull closer to her, bringing Miley's on top of her.

Miley pulled away and nestled her head comfortable on Lilly's shoulder. Her eyes closed and a thankful smile quickly painted itself upon her lips. Lilly was smiling as well, and rested her arms around Miley.

Miley's joyful tears glistened from her cheeks. A moment of serenity fell over the two girls, and each of them enjoyed it to its fullest extent.

Unfortunately, the girls were faced with reality again as there was a knock on the door.

"Lilly? Miley?" It was Cheyenne, "I-It's okay if you're not up for it, but ia it okay if I come in and talk with you?"

Miley glanced over at Lilly, who sighed and sat up. Miley stood up from Lilly's lap and resumed her seat beside her.

"Yes, it's alright," Lilly called, "Come on in"

Cheyenne opened the door slowly and cautiously stepped in. An awkward silence quickly passed through the room, but was then broken when Cheyenne cleared her throat. It was obvious she was on the verge of tears.

"L-Lilly… I know there's no way I can ever imagine the pain you've gone through," She carefully moved towards the bed and sat on the edge with the two girls, keeping a safe, respectful distance away. "I know nothing can change or justify what my brother did to you… There are no excuses," She cleared her throat again, trying to stable her voice.

Lilly sighed, "I didn't mean to take it out on everyone like that… I'm sorry,"

Cheyenne shook her head. "It's completely understandable… I just… if there's anything that I could give you to take with you… I… I just wanted you to know that your father wasn't always the way he was when you met him… It's hard to comprehend, but…"

Cheyenne gulped back more tears, and took a deep breath. "But saying that… Randy and were always left living in his shadow. He protected us, but it plagued us with guilt…. And I think in the end… Paul resented all the things he sacrificed for us…"

"It wasn't your fault…" Lilly spoke up, which took Cheyenne by surprise. She glanced up at Lilly, forgetting the tears in her eyes. "He did all those things because he cared about you… It doesn't matter how things turned out, he cared about you, then… before he changed for the worse…"

Both Cheyenne and Miley glanced up at Lilly in shock after hearing such sensitive, logical words of wisdom.

Cheyenne sniffed, and smiled softly as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Y-your right…" A long silence passed. Cheyenne finally spoke again. "L-Lilly, may I hug you?"

Lilly blinked, caught off guard by such an odd question, and then smiled. "Y-yeah, sure,"

A brief moment of silence fell upon the room. Lilly sighed and leaned over to initiate the hug. Cheyenne immediately exhaled and wrapped Lilly into a tight hug.

"I'm so glad you're here, Lilly," Cheyenne breathed. "I know the good part of my brother is still living on in you,"

Lilly cringed lightly, not sure about how she felt about that statement.

Miley watched Lilly carefully. She was happy that things were looking so positive, but at the same time, she was worried that Lilly was holding things in and trying to look brave and strong. The cringe she saw from Lilly was proof enough that her worries were valid.

When Cheyenne and Lilly parted, Cheyenne sighed, releasing all of her built up anxiety. She reached forward and rested her hands on Lilly's.

"Lilly… I would love to spend more time with you... but I think it would be best if we did that another time," Her smile was soft and almost sad. "I think it's important that you meet Randy… He lives in Carson… He... has a very different view about our brother…"

Lilly nodded, "I kind of got that impression,"

"I think it's important that you get all the different views of your father, and then form your own opinion," Cheyenne smiled meekly; nervous of how her words would be taken.

Lilly in turn, smiled back at her and nodded again. "Yeah… You're right,"

Cheyenne's smiled became more confidant and a relieved breath of air escaped from her lips. "Good… Now… I'm going to go have a few words with your mom and Mr. Stewart. Give a holler if you need anything, or get hungry,"

"We will,"

Lilly's comforting smile remained upon her face until Cheyenne had left the room, cheerfully, and shut the door behind her.

There was a short silence, wherein Lilly didn't know what to do with herself. She was still smiling, though in Miley's opinion, it looked very sad.

Lilly felt Miley's arms come up around her from behind and she finally allowed herself to relax.

Together, they lowered themselves down onto the bed. Lilly sighed heavily, wrapping her arms around Miley, and burying her face in Miley's chest, as if trying to hide.

"Lil, you okay?" Miley asked softly, with an obvious tone of concern.

Lilly sighed and answered honestly. "I'm tired, Miles,"

Miley smiled sadly and pulled Lilly closer to her. "I'm proud of you, hon,"

Lilly tilted her head up and kissed Miley's neck tenderly. "Couldn't have done it without you,"

Another pause passed throughout the room as they lay in each other's arms.

"You hungry?" Miley asked curiously.

Lilly shook her head. "Not really… I'm just…"

"Tired?" Miley laughed softly. Lilly nodded, closing her eyes and cuddling closer to Miley. Miley smiled and closed her eyes as well. "Well then, let's get some sleep,"

Both of them slept soundly, and did not wake until the next morning.

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The next morning, Lilly and Miley woke up and wandered into the kitchen. They found all three of the sitting at the table, eating store bought bearclaws and drinking coffee.

"Hey darlin'! Hey Lilly!" Robbie Ray greeted cheerfully, "Mornin'!"

"Mornin' Daddy," Miley yawned sheepishly and sat down at the table with Lilly.

Heather scooted the plate of bearclaws towards Lilly and Miley. "Have some breakfast, girls. We're leaving for Carson as soon as we're done,"

Miley and Lilly both picked up a pastry from the plate.

"Where's Cheyenne?" Lilly asked timidly after glancing around the house.

Heather took a sip of her coffee before answering. "She had to go to work, sweetheart,"

"Oh…" Lilly stated blankly. She had kind of hoped that Cheyenne would be able to accompany them. She timidly bit into her bearclaw, although she was too preoccupied with her thoughts to be hungry.

"She said to tell you her ear's always listening, if you ever want to talk or visit, and that she would work on getting time off to come out to Malibu,"

This comforted Lilly some, but she just nodded and continued to eat her bearclaw in silence.

The rest of breakfast was quiet.

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One again, they were back in the car, making the 20-minute drive to Carson. Slowly, the small houses and buildings started to look more and more run down and unfriendly. Lilly was beginning to grow nervous. It kind of reminded her of where her father had lived in his apartment. She turned away from the car window and searched for Miley's hand.

Miley felt Lilly's hand timidly find its way into hers. She turned away from gazing out her own window with nervousness, and glanced towards Lilly.

Lilly's gaze was down near her feet and the expression on her face was one of anxiety. She looked up at Miley for some sign of comfort, and Miley squeezed her hand and smiled warmly. Lilly sighed, and smiled back weakly.

The car soon came to a halt on a street of a run-down suburb. Lilly swallowed hard and glanced at Miley again. Miley nodded, and they both got out of the car.

When Miley came around from the other side, she immediately placed her hand back in Lilly's, and they began walking towards the house that they were parked in front of.

Lilly was sure this time, as she approached the door, that she wanted time to slow down as opposed to speeding up. Already, they were at the door. She sighed, relying on the support Miley was giving her, and lifted her fist to knock on the door.

After a short silence, someone yelled, "It's open," seemingly irritated.

Lilly hesitated, and then opened the door with Miley close behind her.

A man with the same blonde hair and blue eyes sat on a couch with a beer bottle in his hands and the TV on in front of him. His hair was messy and looked dirty in the lack of light in the room.

He lazily glanced up at the girls as they stood in the doorway and then took a sip of his beer.

"So you're the daughter Paul fucked, huh?"


	23. Chapter 23

**I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors and actresses in the television show. **

Miley's eyes widened in shock and rage. She shook in anger and glowered at the man who sat calmly on the sofa.

"Y-You…!" She seethed through clenched teeth, but she was much too horrified to speak.

"You're kind of an asshole," Lilly scoffed, finishing Miley's thought.

Miley turned her head, shocked by Lilly's words. She glanced over at Lilly, who was smirking at the man, with heavy tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Lilly, are you okay?" Miley cautiously rested her hand on Lilly's arm.

Lilly sighed and did her best to show Miley a smile, "Yeah, I am,"

"You two an item or something?" Randy propped his feet up on the decrepit coffee table in front of him.

Miley glared defensively at him, but Lilly simply raised her eyebrows. "Yup. Damn straight we are,"

Randy laughed and took a sip of his beer. "Well, well. I'm starting to like you already, kid. You got spunk,"

"Thanks, but I'm not here to get you to like me," Lilly spoke indifferently.

Miley smiled, overjoyed to hear the feisty Lilly resurfacing, even if it was only a temporary front to cover up her pain brought on by the unpleasant greeting she had received from her uncle.

"Shit, kid. If you're all work and no play, you're in for a long, boring, life,"

Lilly sneered, "And avoiding responsibility and running away is much better?"

Randy threw back his head and chuckled, "You're a fighter. Definitely got those Truscott gene's,"

Miley found the strange tension in the room somehow awkwardly comfortable. She could tell that both Lilly and her uncle were playing a sort of game with each other; almost like poker. Neither of them knew if the other was serious, but they kept calling each other out, and raising the other. Miley found herself wondering just how panicked and scared each of them was behind their poker face.

After a drawn out silence of intense challenging stares between the two, Randy sighed and swung his feet off of the coffee table and onto the ground. Clearing his throat, he sat up.

"Alright, well, let's get this over with. No need to extend your visit with unnecessary chitchat," He glanced up at Miley and Lilly, "You can stand there lookin' like a pair of idiots, or you can take a seat. Your choice,"

Lilly narrowed her eyes at him, but Miley tugged on her arm and led them to the couch across from Randy; She didn't want Lilly trying to one-up him by deciding to stand.

As they sat, Lilly sighed and shot Randy a look that told him if Miley wasn't there, the outcome would have been different. However, Lilly had Miley to think about, and she wouldn't let her stubbornness compromise Miley's comfort.

"What brings you here to my humble abode?" Randy's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Lilly sat awkwardly on the couch, furrowing her brow in frustration and thought. "I guess to get you're side of the story, about growing up with my dad,"

Randy scoffed, "Not much to tell. He was the prize child. He got all the credit and attention; left Cheyenne and me in his enormous egotistical shadow,"

Miley and Lilly exchanged confused glances. Miley stirred nervously and then spoke.

"But… what about… what about all the times he took the beatings for you and your sisters?"

Randy sneered, mockingly, "Oh, big deal. The guy got knocked around a few times. So what? You know, he talked me outta joining the army, then he went and joined himself, then helped pay Cheyenne's way through college. That coulda been me helping pay, but he just had to take all the glory,"

"You don't think that maybe he didn't want to see his little brother joining the army because it was so dangerous? Didn't you notice how much it affected him?" Lilly crossed her arms, bothered by the drastic point of view Randy had compared to Cheyenne.

Randy gazed away from the girls at the side wall, a searing anger behind his eyes. "Look, kid, you don't know what you're talking about," he rigidly took another sip of his beer. Miley noticed that the bottle was already empty.

"I'd say you're the one who doesn't know what you're talking about," Lilly pushed, "You're too caught up in yourself to even notice what's going on around you. Try thinking of someone else once in a while. The world doesn't revolve around you!"

Randy threw his empty bottle across the room. It hit the far wall and shattered, causing both girls to jump.

"You don't know what the fuck you're talking about, alright?!" Randy gritted his teeth and shouted, "I think the world revolves around me? Are you kidding? Do you see this shit hole I'm living in?! How could the would revolve around this?!"

Lilly trembled at the loud sound of his voice until she felt Miley's hand timidly reach over and touch her arm. Miley's fingers were trembling, and Lilly realized that Miley was frightened; this caused her to go all out protective mode.

"Okay, so sitting here feeling sorry for yourself is so much better?! Quit blaming someone else for something that's not their fault! Grow a pair and own up to it!"

Randy clenched his fists and stiffened with rage. Lilly could see the veins bulging in his neck, and to be honest, she was terrified. Her uncle's rage reminded her of her father's drunken anger.

"You little shit! Your own father raped you, and you're standing up for him?! Saying he's an okay guy? Don't make he laugh! You're one fucked up kid! You got problems!" He shook with rage, a malicious smile on his lips, parted and showing his grinding teeth.

Lilly felt Miley cringe every time Randy's voice grew louder; she had had enough. Standing up, Lilly grasped Miley's hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Come on, Miles. Let's get out of here. I've had enough of this guy,"

Miley was still bewildered and frightened and let Lilly lead her towards the door. Lilly opened it they both started out the doorway.

"You're just like him!" Randy shouted after them, "You think you know everything, but you're wrong!"

Lilly slammed the door behind her. She heard crashing and shattering noises come from behind the door. She closed her eyes and sighed heavily; her ears were still ringing.

"Lilly…?" Miley's timid voice brought Lilly back to her senses. She turned to look at Miley, who still looked a little shaken up. "Are you okay?"

Lilly stared at her for several seconds, and then smiled weakly. "Yeah, Miles," She squeezed Miley's hand in hers. "Let's go home, okay?"

Miley nodded, and squeezed Lilly's hand back. She was still too bewildered to know what to do for Lilly, or try to figure out how Lilly was feeling.

They started towards the car, where Robbie Ray and Heather were nervously waiting for their return.

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Miley and Lilly walked through the front door to the Stewart house after a quiet 30-minute ride home. The entire time, Miley was silent and stuck close to Lilly's side. Lilly did her best to quietly comfort her by stroking her arm and running her fingertips across Miley's palm. It seemed to help a little, as Miley rested her head on Lilly's shoulder and closed her eyes.

Lilly figured Miley had never seen someone that angry yell and get that violent. She understood why Miley was still so disorientated and scared. Lilly smiled at the sound of Miley's slumbering breath and turned her neck to kiss her cheek.

Robbie Ray and Heather respected their privacy, surprised to see Lilly together, and Miley shaken up. The girls went straight to Miley's room, closing the door behind them.

Miley immediately tromped over to her bed and flopped onto her mattress. Lilly followed after her, and sat besides her.

"Miles, you want to get some rest?"

Miley grumbled into her pillow and nodded. Lilly smiled and placed her hand on Miley's back and began rubbing it softly.

After several moments, in which Miley was finally able to relax, Miley turned over and grasped Lilly's arm. She pouted and tugged Lilly towards her, beckoning Lilly to lay with her in bed.

Lilly could tell Miley was already half asleep and exhausted, so she climbed into bed beside Miley and wrapped her arms around her. Miley placed her hand on Lilly's arm and sighed happily. Not long after she drifted off to sleep. Lilly, however, was nowhere near being able to sleep. For the next couple hours, she snuggled close to Miley, trying to keep her mind off of the day, and on how much she loved Miley. Part of the time it worked.

A few hours later, around 7:00, Miley stirred and opened her eyes. Yawning, she turned over so that she was facing Lilly. She found Lilly was already awake, and smiling at her.

Miley smiled back and nuzzled her face into the crook of Lilly's neck, placing a shy kiss beneath Lilly's ear.

"Morning, Starshine," Lilly spoke softly.

Miley blushed, and then leaned forward to kiss Lilly's lightly on the lips.

Lilly smiled, "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Miley nodded, lowering her head back into Lilly's neck and scooting closer to her. She paused, apprehensively. "How are you feeling?"

Lilly hesitated, "I'm alright… Nothing really turned out to be what I thought it was… but… I don't regret meeting my aunt or uncle,"

Miley was silent for a while, as if thinking. "What about what your uncle said?"

"I dunno," Lilly sighed, "My aunt and my uncle are complete polar opposites when it comes to my dad… I'm kind of… just, in the middle. I don't think that'll ever change, but that's okay,"

A long silence passed, as Miley seemed to be lost in her thoughts. "Lil…?" She spoke up timidly.

"What is it Miles?"

Miley seemed uncertain about what she was going to say. "Just because you can see your father as a normal person now… doesn't mean you have to force the pain away… What happened to you still happened, and it's okay to feel pain still…" She held her breath and waited for Lilly's response, but the room was dead silent, and Lilly hadn't moved either. "Lilly?"

Miley noticed Lilly's arms that were holding her gently, began to shake and tremble. She could hear Lilly's breathing become labored and shallow. Not long after, the sobs poured out. Miley squeezed her arms around Lilly, trying to comfort her.

"Lilly, hush, it's okay,"

Lilly tried to speak through her hiccups and sobs, but her tears were too strong. She buried her face in Miley's arms and continued to cry. She wondered to herself if anything had even really changed.

It was Lilly's turn to sleep; her sobs eventually faded into a quiet slumber.

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When Lilly woke up, Miley was still laying beside her, running her fingers through Lilly's hair.

"Morning, Starshine," Miley smiled, repeating the greeting Lilly had given her.

Lilly smiled weakly. "Hey,"

Miley reached over and kissed Lilly's forehead. "You feeling better?"

"Yeah, a little,"

Miley continues stroking Lilly's hair. While she was doing so, Lilly studied her face. She noticed it seemed sad.

"What is it?" Miley asked, feeling Lilly's eyes on her.

Lilly hesitated before speaking. "Miles… why don't you go back to school?"

Miley's eyes widened and she blinked. "What? What do you mean?"

"It's just…" Lilly furrowed her brow, trying to select her words carefully, "I don't want to tie you down… I love how much you've supported me, but I don't want to hold you back… I think it'd be healthy for both of us,"

Miley frowned, "I don't know, Lil… I don't want to be away from you…"

Lilly laughed softly, "It'd only be a few hours a day… Plus, I think getting out of the house would be good for you. I still have some stuff I gotta work on, but that doesn't mean you have to sacrifice everything for me…"

Miley was silent as she went deep into thought. Lilly could tell she was struggling with the idea. Yes, Miley didn't want to be apart from Lilly, but at the same time, Lily knew Miley missed her social day-to-day life. After everything Miley had done for her, Lilly thought she could at least give that to Miley.

"Let's just try it," Lilly moved forward to kiss Miley's cheek.

Miley was quiet for a while longer, and then sighed.

"Alright… but if it doesn't work out, then…"

Lilly smiled, "I know, I know,"

Miley smiled back at her out of adoration, and excitement to return to school. "Thank you, Lil," She gave Lilly's lips a deep, enveloping kiss.

"Don't mention it," Lilly grinned. She was glad that Miley would have a chance to get back out into the world, but secretly, she was apprehensive and scared about being alone without Miley.

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The next morning, Robbie Ray had cooked his special pancakes for Miley big morning.

"Made them just the way you like 'em, bud!" He flopped a short stack onto Miley's plate, and then onto Lilly's. Lilly knew she wouldn't be able to finish them all. But she would eat a respectable amount.

Miley smiled, "Thanks, Daddy,"

"You excited?" Robbie Ray pulled up a chair and started to eat his own pancakes.

Miley's smile grew into a shy grin. "Yeah…"

The smiling was contagious, as Lily found herself smiling at how adorable Miley was.

After a few minutes of silent eating, Heather came into the kitchen from down the hall.

"What's everyone so excited about?" She asked sleepily.

"Miley's going to start back at school," Lilly informed her blankly.

Miley blushed and couldn't seem to suppress her smile. "It was Lilly's idea,"

Heather caught the smile bug too, "That's wonderful, Miley. I hope you have a good time!"

"You bet she will!" Robbie Ray eagerly assured her.

The atmosphere in the house was unusually cheery, and everyone seemed to enjoy it as a pleasant change. They finished up their breakfast, and all went to see Miley off at the door.

"Have a good day, bud," Robbie Ray said as he rested his hands on Miley's shoulders and kissed her forehead. "Say hi to Oliver for me,"

Miley nodded, "I will," She glanced around sheepishly. "Um, could I say goodbye to Lilly in private?"

Robbie Ray and Heather exchanged glances and smiled, "Of course,"

Lilly followed Miley out onto the porch. Miley stopped and spun around; she took Lilly's hands in hers and bit down on her bottom lip nervously.

"I'll miss you…" she finally said.

Lilly smiled weakly, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with the idea. "I'll miss you too, Miles… But I'll see you soon,"

Miley played with Lilly's hands anxiously, and then suddenly threw her arms around Lilly, wrapping her into a tight embrace. Lilly could hear the tears in her breathing. She returned the embrace, doing her best not to let her own tears flow.

Miley pulled away; Lilly saw the tears on her cheeks. Miley then leaned to take Lilly's lips in her own, in what seemed to last for minutes, but not nearly long enough. When she pulled away, she sniffled.

Lilly could feel her throat welling up, but she suppressed it. Reaching up, she wiped Miley's tears from her cheeks.

"I'll see you after school, okay?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Miley nodded, unable to access her throat to form words. She rested her hand upon Lilly's, which was still on her cheek, and then leaned forward again for one last kiss.

"Okay," She whispered. She then forced herself to turn around and begin to walk away. It felt to her like there were weights around her ankles. Slowly she trudged on, glancing back at Lilly every few feet, who waited on the porch until Miley was out of sight.

When Miley had turned the corner, Lilly sighed and turned around to go back inside. Heather and Robbie Ray were nowhere to be found. Lilly stood in the entryway, bewildered. A lonely silence filled the kitchen, and Lilly became desperate to get away from it. She walked up the stairs to Miley's room, closing the door behind her. Lilly stood still, her mind was engulfed in a vast numbness. The silence had seemed to follow her into the room.

After a long while, Lilly fell to her knees and began to sob. She missed Miley. She felt alone and lost and helpless, and the fact that without Miley she completely fell apart made her feel pathetic.

Eventually she fell from her knees onto her side, curled into a ball, continuing to sob. There was nothing she could do.


	24. Chapter 24

**I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors and actresses in the television show. **

"Miley!" Oliver screeched as soon as he saw her, not hesitating to through his arms around her and give her a hug. "You're alive! I haven't seen you in weeks!"

Miley smiled awkwardly and hugged Oliver back. "It's good too see you too, Oliver,"

When they separated, Oliver lowered his head and looked around. "Lilly's not here with you?" He whispered sadly.

Miley winced and her smile fell. "No…" She tried to put her smile back on. "She thought I should try going back to school… She didn't want to hold me back from a regular life,"

Oliver frowned; his expression turned somber. "I guess I can understand that… but… What about her? What about her needs?"

"I don't know," Miley shook her head sadly, looking as if she was about to cry. "Sometimes I just can't tell with her… I want to be there for her, but then she brings something like this up, she starts acting weird. I dunno if I can believe her when she says everything's okay,"

An uncomfortable silence formed between the two as Oliver stirred anxiously. After some time he spoke. "Do you think she'd be okay if I visited some time this week? My mom and I have been kinda worried, but we wanna give her the space she needs,"

"I'll talk to her about it," Miley forced a smiled.

Oliver cleared his throat. "I just hope you don't get any shit from anyone today," He muttered under his breath. "I'm your go-to guy if you do, okay?"

"Got ya," Miley kept her smile as best she could. "If things heat up, I'll sound the Smokin' Oaken alarm,"

Oliver blushed, embarrassed but proud upon hearing the use of his nickname. "That's right! I got your back, girl,"

Miley laughed; it wasn't a big laugh, but it was genuine. She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed, but it felt good. "Thanks, Oliver. Back at ya,"

Oliver popped out his collar and smirked. Then another silence formed as their eyes met. Behind both sets of eyes, there was a noticeable amount of sadness and worry. Simultaneously they moved in for another long hug; it was eventually broken up by the school bell; a sound Miley was unaccustomed to.

Oliver cleared his throat again and leaned down to pick up his backpack as the bustle of kids rushed towards their homeroom.

"Thank you, Oliver," Miley said, still bewildered.

Oliver smiled. "No prob, Miles. Now let's get to homeroom,"

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Lilly stood at the balcony outside of Miley's bedroom, staring off into the distance; the road and the beach, with the occasional passing car, were before her. After a long drawn out silence, Lilly sat down on the bench beside her after a heavy sigh.

As she sat, she curled her knees to her chest. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks and her face twisted in distress.

"Miley," she whimpered, pulling her knees closer so she could burry her face in their shelter.

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Miley stood in the school office at lunch, waiting for her copies of over a month's work of missed assignments. She didn't really want to be there.

"Here you go, sweety," The secretary smiled, almost mockingly at Miley as she dropped a thick folder full of papers. "Next time try and let us know you're going to be missing school so we can prepare your work ahead of time,"

"Sorry, I'll try and remember," Miley rolled her eyes and readjusted the thick folder in her hands.

She made her way to the door, ready to head to find Oliver. She had been surprised that no one had given her a hard time about Lilly. Instead, she got frightened stares, and people seemed to avoid her. She didn't care about the people, but being stared at made her feel uncomfortable. Miley decided that she would rather have people giving her shit.

"Hey, Miles," Oliver stood up as Miley neared. "How'd it go?"

Miley flopped the folder of paper down on the table to show Oliver. "Peachy," she rolled her eyes. Without hesitating, she pulled out her cell phone. "Watch for teachers, will you? I'm gonna check on Lilly,"

Oliver nodded, a serious expression on his face. "Only if you tell her I say 'hi',"

Miley smiled. "Okay, I will," She dialed Lilly number, and put the phone to her ear. It rang several times.

"Hey, Miley," Lilly's tired voice answered, causing Oliver to flail excitedly. "How is school going,"

"Fine. It's good, no problems, I just miss you more than anything else,"

Miley could hear Lilly's soft smile over the phone. "I miss you too, Miles,"

"What have you been doing all day?" Miley asked curiously.

There was a hesitation before Lilly answered. "A lot of gazing out into the distance; nothing too exciting. I was thinking about going for a walk on the beach or something,"

Miley frowned, "Aw. Lil, I want to take a walk on the beach with you. Can you wait till I get home?"

"I'll walk on the beach with you anytime, Miles,"

Miley smiled to herself. "Okay," She glanced over at Oliver who was pointing to himself desperately. "Oh yeah, Oliver says 'hi',"

"Tell him hi back,"

Miley lowered the phone from her mouth. "She says hi back," Oliver grinned stupidly at this. "Anyways, I wanted to make sure everything was okay,"

There was a hesitation, "Yeah everything's fine,"

Miley wasn't sure she believed her, but now wasn't the time. "We'll go to the beach after I get home, okay?"

"Okay,"

"Miss you,"

Lilly sighed sadly, "I miss you too, Miles,"

"See you after school," Miley didn't really want to get off the phone.

"Have a good day,"

"Okay. Bye,"

"Bye,"

Miley sighed and then hung up; she turned towards Oliver, who wasstill beaming brightly. "I'm so sick of school already,"

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Lilly hung up her phone and sighed; she gazed out at the ocean from her place on the beach. Once again she hugged her knees to her chest.

"Miley…"

She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the waves crashing upon the shoreline. Time seemed to flow altogether. When she opened her eyes, the sun was nearly down.

It took several seconds for Lilly's brain to process what it was dealing with.

"Shit!" She shot up, causing herself to become lightheaded. Immediately, she had to fall back down to her knees.

"Lilly!" A voice in the distance called in distress. "Lilly, where are you!?"

Lilly licked her dry lips, and struggled to stand up. "M-Miley…! I'm over here!"

"Lilly?!"

The sound of Miley panting as she ran across the sand echoed in the lingering hours of light. Lilly tried to look for her but her vision was bleeding white. "Lilly!" She heard again, this time much closer, and with much more panic and tears in Miley's voice.

Suddenly Lilly felt arms thrown around her, and wet tears stain her neck as Miley buried her face in Lilly's shoulder. Slowly, Lilly's vision faded back as she recovered from her lightheadedness, and she found clinging onto her tightly and sobbing.

"L-Lilly, I was so scared I'd lost you! All of a sudden, you were g-gone, and I c-couldn't find y-you!

Lilly blinked, and then was able to function well enough to wrap her arms around Miley's waist to comfort her. She shushed Miley and held closely as she continued to sob into Lilly's arms.

"Shh, Miley, hun, it's okay. I'm right here… I'm right here…"

Lilly let Miley settle down and stop cry before she suggested they return home so their parents wouldn't worry. Miley continued to cling tightly to Lilly until they were side by side in bed, drifting off to sleep.


End file.
